Vincent Argiro, philanthropist, entrepreneur, poet, and sailor, has recently offered a matching grant of up to $125,000 for Neighborhood Forest’s Earth Day 2022 free tree giveaway. For every dollar raised between now and Earth Day (April 22), Vincent will match, dollar-for-dollar, up to $125,000 in donations. By reaching this goal, Neighborhood Forest will be able to give a record 50,000 children their very own tree to plant on Earth Day 2022.
Neighborhood Forest is honored and delighted to have Vincent Argiro as our founding member of the Board of Trustees.
Vincent has long had a deep love for trees and the planet, beginning with the first Earth Day in 1970 when he was just 14 years old. Since joining the board of Neighborhood Forest in 2019, he has single-handedly committed to giving over 40,000 children their very own tree to plant on Earth Day.
His attention and guidance to our program have helped it reach new heights of possibility and scale. Vincent has a long track record of creating vision and bringing that vision to life. In the late 1980s, he founded a revolutionary medical software company (Vital Images, Inc., now part of Canon Medical Informatics), which ended up touching the lives of millions of patients across the world by revolutionizing aspects of radiological diagnosis and surgical planning.
Vincent’s connection to Neighborhood Forest’s roots go deep. He met Vikas Narula, Neighborhood Forest Founder, when Vikas was in high school. He watched from afar as Vikas worked alongside fellow college students at Maharishi International University (MIU) to plant thousands of trees through the hands of children across southeast Iowa in the early 1990s.
After graduating from MIU with a degree in computer science, Vikas joined Vincent’s software company and worked there for 11 years. During his tenure, they formed an endearing mentor-mentee relationship that was often coined by other colleagues as “V2V”.
Years later, after going their separate ways, Vincent and Vikas have rejoined forces to touch the lives of millions of children with trees.
Vincent’s incredible generosity and commitment to our kids and planet continues to inspire and humble us.
To contribute to The Vincent Argiro / Neighborhood Forest Free Tree Matching campaign please visit: https://lnkd.in/gfwR4es
Neighborhood Forest loves planting trees and watching them grow. An average American family creates an annual carbon footprint equivalent to what 75 trees sequester in their lifetime. According to GlobeNewsWire, the global average of each human’s carbon emissions per year is 6 TONS of Carbon Dioxide. SIX. TONS. Planting SIX trees per month (72/year) is enough to balance out that six tons per year. Neighborhood Forest helps offset that carbon footprint by introducing tens of thousands of children to the joy of growing trees every year. It has provided over 50,000 trees to over 400 schools, libraries, and youth groups since its inception in 2010.
Neighborhood Forest experienced a record amount of tree sign-ups this year, significantly outpacing our normal capacity to fulfill orders in time for Earth Day 2021. We needed an immediate solution that aligned with our mission to help the planet. With some research, luck, and serendipity, we found Cahoot – the world’s first peer-to-peer e-commerce fulfillment network! With its collaborative “Power of Many” business model, merchants store inventory and fulfill orders for each other on the Cahoot network.
Cahoot’s revolutionary technology and business methods cut down the distance packages need to travel. By intelligently placing inventory closer to customers – businesses and non-profit organizations can deliver goods quickly using sustainable ground shipping rather than air freight. This made Cahoot the perfect fulfillment partner for Neighborhood Forest. Cahoot provided the essential additional storage and fulfillment services required to deliver thousands of 6-12” White Pine trees to kids throughout the U.S. in time for this Earth Day (April 22).
According to Cahoot Founder and CEO Manish Chowdhary, “At its heart, Cahoot makes e-commerce and shipping greener. Ground shipping produces 85% less CO2 emissions and costs up to 50% less than air cargo. It’s a win-win for the planet, the merchant, and the end-consumer whenever we optimize an order! Our partnership with Neighborhood Forest is a no-brainer because we believe in a greener world while making green!”
“We are thrilled to partner with Cahoot. Together, we’re enabling even more families across the US to make the world greener with the additional fulfillment capabilities that Cahoot brings. Best of all, we’re doing it affordably and sustainably with ground shipping. Coincidentally, there is even a mention of the word “Cahoots” in the popular “I Love Trees” song written and sung by Katie Strand in honor of trees, Neighborhood Forest, and Earth Day,” said Vikas Narula, Founder of Neighborhood Forest.
‘Trees talk through their roots, interconnected they’re in cahoots!’
“Now, we’re in cahoots with Cahoot – it’s so perfect”, said Vikas.
ABOUT CAHOOT Cahoot is the world’s first peer-to-peer eCommerce fulfillment network that helps online businesses offer nationwide 1-day and 2-day deliveries. Cahoot offers drastically lower fulfillment fees because it enables merchants to store and ship the merchandise for each other. This novel business model also allows merchants to make extra money using their existing warehouse space and personnel. Visit http://www.cahoot.ai or LinkedIn
ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD FOREST Neighborhood Forest was founded in 2010 by Vikas Narula. When he was a college student in the early 1990s at Maharishi International University (Fairfield, Iowa), he learned of a free tree project started by David Kidd of Ohio. Vikas and his college friends adopted the program and gave away tens of thousands of trees to schoolchildren across southeast Iowa. What began, in 2010, with four schools in Minneapolis has grown to over 400 schools, libraries, and youth groups in 35 states across America and Canada. Neighborhood Forest’s goal is to reach every child in North America and, eventually, the world.
Dear Grandparents, Parents, Guardians, Teachers, Volunteers, Coordinators, Students, and Children,
Your trees are coming soon – sometime next week (hopefully before or on Earth Day – April 22nd)! Your school, library, or youth group leader will be in touch with you.
This message contains important information about your new tree, including planting instructions and species information.
First, I want you to know that you are one of 18,500 people that will be planting trees for Earth Week. You are part of one of the largest coordinated, volunteer, urban / residential tree planting projects in America!
This year has been special for us. In late February, our program went viral among librarians. We had a 20x surge in interest in our program from last year and a record 3x growth in the number of trees we are giving away.
We are thrilled that you are participating!
We would love for you to share a photo of your newly planted tree with your child(ren) on our Facebook page (or you can email us directly). We love collecting “then and nows” of the kids with their trees.
If you or someone you know would like to be a sponsor of our program, please let us know.
Since we had such an unexpected increase in demand for trees, we found ourselves in a bit of a funding gap. One of our friends decided to help us by starting this lovely GoFundMe campaign.
Check out her cool video and song, “I Love Trees!”
If you know anyone who might like to contribute to our program, feel free to spread the word!
We are giving away 7 different species of trees in 35 states this year:
Coast Live Oak (California)
Eldarica Pine (New Mexico and Texas)
Hackberry (Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, parts of Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee)
Loblolly Pine (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, parts of North Carolina, South Carolina)
Virginia Pine (Parts of North Carolina, Virginia)
White Pine (Connecticut, Massachusetts, parts of Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island)
White Spruce (Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming)
Please click here to see planting instructions for both evergreen and deciduous variety.
Some key points to keep in mind:
1) Keep your tree in a cool, dark place (refrigerated for those in northern states) until you plant it
2) Protect your newly planted tree from wildlife and lawnmowers with a little fence and netting
3) Put some mulch around it
4) Water generously or in accordance with recommendations for your particular tree species
5) Please take a picture of your child(ren) with your newly planted tree (and share on our Facebook page, if you are comfortable) – watching your tree and kids grow together is a magical joy!
Finally, I want to say that these trees are small and vulnerable. Not all of them survive and that is Ok. It is a part of life and a part of the tree planting process. We do our part and then we have to leave the rest to Mother Nature. A lost tree seedling might break your child’s heart and there is a great lesson in this too. We mustn’t give up! We will keep sending you trees each year and we will keep on planting them.
I had to plant many trees before this one finally made it and reached maturity!
Thank you, again, for participating in Neighborhood Forest’s 12th annual free tree giveaway. We are excited to see all the smiling faces with their little trees!
The Coast Live Oak is a beautiful evergreen oak native to California. It is drought-resistant and can reach a height of 25-82 ft tall. Some trees have been recorded to live longer than 250 years! Oaks attract a variety of birds and butterflies.
A great many birds, mammals, reptiles,
and invertebrates utilize oak trees
and oak woodlands, and they’re
among the most important wildlife
plants.
Many butterflies use Oaks as a host
plant, including California Sister,
Propertius Duskywing, Golden
Hairstreak, and others.
This tree is relatively easy to care for. It does best in full sun or part shade, low moisture, medium soil drainage, and only needs summer irrigation one time per month (max) once established.
Oaks provide tremendous benefits for
all. They provide homes to wildlife,
feed pollinators, clean and recharge
groundwater, provide a playground
for kids, and cool shade for all.
The Eldarica pine is a tree with strong, wide-spaced branches. It gives off a mild, fresh fragrance and has stiff, long, dark green needles at maturity.
It tolerates heat, wind, and dry conditions very well, and can also thrive in colder climates.
The Eldarica pine grows to a height of 30–60 feet and a spread of 25–40 feet at maturity. This tree grows at a medium rate, with height increases of 13–24 inches per year.
Full sun is the ideal condition for this tree, meaning it should get at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day.
An Eldarica pine windbreak makes valuable cover, nesting, and breeding areas for songbirds.
(Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, parts of Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee)
The hackberry is commonly heralded by tree experts as “one tough tree.” Found on a wide range of soils east of the Rockies from southern Canada to Florida, these trees thrive in a broad span of temperatures and on sites that vary from 14 to 60″ of annual rainfall. They can even stand up to strong winds and tolerate air pollution.
The hackberry grows well in a variety of soils. It has some tolerance for both flooding and drought.
All of this hardiness adds up to a good landscape choice, particularly if you’re looking for an energy-conserving shade tree that doesn’t require watering.
The hackberry grows to a height of 40–60 feet and a spread of 40–60 feet at maturity. This tree grows at a medium to fast rate, with height increases of anywhere from 13 inches to more than 24 inches per year.
Full sun is the ideal condition for this tree, meaning it should get at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day.
The hackberry forms characteristic corky ridges and warts on trunk and branches and tolerates strong winds, pollution, heat, drought, and salt.
It has a growth pattern that resembles the elm – without the susceptibility to disease.
The fruit of the hackberry is popular with winter birds, especially the cedar waxwing, mockingbird and robin. The tree also attracts many butterfly species including American snout, hackberry, mourning cloak, and tawny emperor.
(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, parts of North Carolina, South Carolina)
The loblolly pine is one of the fastest-growing southern pines. This tree is used as a quick-screen in many landscapes. It grows in a wide variety of soils and is drought tolerant.
The loblolly pine grows to 60-100 feet in height with a 25-35 foot spread. It grows at a fast rate, with height increases of more than 24 inches per year.
Full sun is the ideal condition for this tree, meaning it should get at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day.
While it prefers normal moisture, the tree can tolerate some flooding and moderate drought.
Loblolly pines provide shelter and food for many southeastern animals, including birds such as Carolina chickadees, brown-headed nuthatches, rufous-sided towhees, northern bobwhites, and wild turkeys. The seeds are also consumed by chipmunks, squirrels, and other small rodents.
The loblolly is native to the east coast of North America from New Jersey to Florida and Texas. It has a long history with the pioneers and is very aromatic, thus sometimes known as “rosemary” pine.
The Virginia pine is a medium-sized tree that can grow to a size range of 10–60 feet but can grow larger under optimum conditions. The trunk can be as large as 20 inches in diameter. This tree prefers well-drained soil or clay, but will also grow on very poor, sandy soil, where it remains small and stunted. The typical life span is 65 to 90 years.
This pine is useful for reforesting and provides nourishment for wildlife. Virginia pine is a distinct pine in the United States and can be identified by a key characteristic; the relatively short needles are twisted and come in bunches of two. The needles are typically two to eight centimeters in length.
Virginia pine trees inhabit dry forested areas. Unlike some other pines, Virginia pine produces cones in all parts of the canopy.
(Connecticut, Massachusetts, parts of Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island)
The eastern white pine tree is one of the most valuable trees in North America. There is a whole one-hour movie about how this tree was instrumental to the birth of our country!
The white pine grows 50-80 feet tall with a 20-40 foot spread.
Eastern white pines have a long life, usually living to 200 years of age, with some trees living over 450 years! Considered a fast-growing tree, it can reach up to a height of 100 feet and 42 inches in diameter at maturity.
The white pine’s graceful presence and long, evergreen needles give this tree a majestic look.
The trees grow best in fertile, moist, and well-drained soil with full sun. Sapling eastern white pines are tasty food for white-tailed deer and eastern cottontails, so if you have some in your area, it’s a good idea to protect the plant with a small fence / netting after planting!
Though the tree is an evergreen, the aromatic needles usually drop after two or three years after they turn yellow in early fall. Eastern white pine seeds are favored by black bears, rabbits, red squirrels, and many birds, especially red crossbills. White pines provide nesting sites as well for many birds including woodpeckers, common grackles, mourning doves, chickadees, and nuthatches.
The white spruce grows to a height of 40–60 feet and a spread of 10–20 feet at maturity. This tree grows at a medium rate, with height increases of 13–24 inches per year.
This tree thrives in a lot of sunlight – ideally six hours of direct sunlight per day. The white spruce grows well in a variety of different soils and has some drought tolerance.
The white spruce does well when transplanted. It can withstand wind, heat, cold, drought, crowding, and some shade. It does well in cities and often serves as rural windbreaks.
Aside from providing nesting for birds and shelter for other animals, white spruces provide food for many kinds of wildlife. Crossbills, evening grosbeaks, and red-breasted nuthatches feed on its seeds. The foliage is eaten by grouse, rabbits, and deer. Red squirrels bite open cones to eat the seeds, and they delight upon young, tender spruce shoots.
When Jacques Cartier sailed up the broad St. Lawrence River in 1535, he became the first European to see North America’s white spruces. As he laid claim to the lands he beheld, he proclaimed them to be “as beautiful…as one could wish for.” The trees, he said, were “the finest trees in the world.”
Planting Instructions for Deciduous and Evergreen Tree Seedlings
Based on the type of tree you receive, you will review either the “Evergreen” or “Deciduous” planting instructions. Definitions for each type of tree and their planting instructions are provided below.
Desplácese hacia abajo para ver las instrucciones en español. (Please scroll down for Instructions in Spanish)
Please review our Tree Planting Guide for an all-inclusive resource for planting your tree.
We have some very exciting new developments to share as we enter our 12th annual free tree giveaway.
I know it has been a tough and unfathomable 12 months for the entire world. A couple of years ago, even before all the craziness, we thought about calling it quits. Things were hard. Things were not moving as we expected. We wondered if our efforts were really making a difference.
Then, we started to get photos like this:
And this:
And, we were like, “we can’t give up now!”
I am so glad we didn’t give up because something wonderful and amazing is happening – right now.
In the past few weeks, we have experienced an incredible, unprecedented, and exhilarating surge of interest in our program, thanks to a small and unassuming library in Michigan!
In the first 11 years of our program, we grew from serving 4 schools in Minneapolis to 150 schools in 14 states – about 10-15 new schools per year. It was a fairly slow and steady growth over one decade.
In the past few weeks, we have nearly tripled – adding 250 new institutions – now serving over 400 organizations in 30 states!!
Here’s how it happened…
Three weeks ago, Tamarack District Library in Lakeview, Michigan got wind of our program and asked if they could also participate – they wanted to give trees to the kids they serve.
We had never had a request like this before and even though it was out of the ordinary, we thought, why not? What difference does it make whether we reach kids through schools or libraries? They signed up and became the first library in the nation to offer trees to kids via Neighborhood Forest. They were super excited about this and shared our program with a coop of libraries that they are a part of. Within a day or so, we had 5 libraries signed up in Michigan.
Then, they shared our program in a Library Programming group on Facebook and we essentially went viral – doubling the number of organizations we were serving – in just a few days!
Holy tree roots!
Below is the growing list of libraries, schools, and youth groups that have signed up since Tamarack changed the course of our destiny!
(By the way, we’ve given out Tamarack trees in the past, so this is just so fitting!)
It was all very unexpected, thrilling, and a bit overwhelming. This was the moment we had been waiting for all these years. The moment when people would be clamoring from all over to give trees to kids.
We now have the demand for trees we’ve been hoping for and we need to meet it with adequate fundraising. Obviously, this was a growth spurt we hadn’t really planned for.
Consider for a moment, that the average American family creates an annual carbon footprint that is equivalent to what 75 trees sequester in their lifetime. So, for about a dollar a day, Neighborhood Forest can offset a family’s carbon footprint by planting trees through the hands of children – now, tens of thousands of children!
Our sponsorship levels are as follows:
One Child $5 – 1 free tree for a child
Carbon Neutral Individual $75 – 1 year carbon neutrality for one person (15 free trees) Carbon Neutral Family $375 – 1 year carbon neutrality for your family (75 free trees)
Maple $950 – 1 school / library (200 free trees) Oak $2,500 – 3 schools / libraries (500 free trees) Sequoia $4,950 – 8 schools / libraries (1,000 free trees)
We can receive payment via Venmo or PayPal (or check) and we can provide a tax-deductible receipt if desired.
Would you or someone you know (an individual, business, or organization) be interested in supporting us this year, given the wonderful, unexpected surge in participation? Every little bit helps!
Feel free to spread the word!
Is your child’s tree still alive? Please share a current photo of it with your child(ren) on our Facebook page – we love collecting “then and nows” of the kids and their trees.
New schools, libraries, and youth groups that have joined Neighborhood Forest in the past three weeks!
Tamarack District Library, Lakeview, MI Diamond Path International School, Apple Valley Darby Creek, Hilliard, OH Lakeview Elementary, Lakeview MI Big Rapids Community Library, Big Rapids MI Bellaire Public Library, Bellaire MI Manistee County Library, Manistee, MI Leelanau Township Library, Northport MI JFK Elementary, Kingsport, TN Wildflower Early Learning Center, Savage MN Keystone Elementary, LaGrange, OH Bridge Prepatory Charter School, Staten Island, NY White Cloud Community Library, White Cloud, MI PS 380 John Wayne Elementary, Brooklyn, NY PS 35 Clove Valley, Staten Island, NY Zane North School, Collingswood NJ BSA Pack 2 Westerleigh (Scouts), Staten Island, NY Endeavor Library, Montello WI Darlington Library, Darlington, SC Beacon Falls Public Library, Beacon Falls CT Normandale Elementary School, Edina Keene Public Library, Keene New Hampshire Knox Public Library, Knox PA Philmont Public Library, Philmont, NY Ashby Free Public Library, Ashby MA Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Library, Fort Meyer, VA Vestal Public Library, Vestal NY Murrieta Public Library, Murrieta CA DR Evarts Library, Athens, NY Bellevue Public Library, Bellevue, ID Hundred Public Library, Hundred, WV Tom Green County Public Library, San Angelo TX Butler Area Public Library, Butler PA Veterans Memorial Library St. Cloud Branch, St. Cloud, FL Oakland City-Columbia Twp. Public Library, Oakland City, IN Liberty Lake Library, Liberty Lake, WA Star Valley Branch Library, Afton WY Tyler Public Library, Tyler TX Barnwell County Public Library, Barnwell SC Regency Park Branch Library, New Port Richey FL Mitchellville Public Library, Mitchellville IA Porter Memorial Library, Blandford MA Amery Area Public Library, Amery WI Bartholomew County Public Library, Columbus IN Alvah N Belding Memorial Library, Belding MI Brisbane School District, Brisbane CA Elmont Memorial Public Library, Elmont NY Three Oaks Township Public Library, Three Oaks MI Kewaunee Grade School, Kewaunee WI Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria LA Carnegie Library of Homestead, Munhall PA Olive Free LIbrary Association, West Shokan NY Wickliffe Public Library, Wickliffe OH Lebo Branch Library, Lebo KS Kalamazoo Public Library, MI Mercer County Public Library, Harrodsburg KY New River Public Library, Wesley Chapel FL Pike County Public Libraries – Phelps Branch KY Clayton County Morrow Library, Morrow GA Buchanan Elementary School PTA, Murrieta CA Emily Brittain Elementary School, Butler PA Collingswood Middle School, Collingswood NJ Unicoi County Public Library, Erwin TN Tangier Smith Elementary, Mastic Beach NY Ida Public Library, Belvidere IL Leighton Township Library, Wayland MI Hoffman Trails Elementary, Hilliard OH Benson Memorial Library, Titusville PA Anderson-Lee Library, Silver Creek NY Malta Township Public Library, Malta IL Evans City Public Library, Evans City PA Chester Public Library, Chester CT W.G. Rhea Public Library, Paris TN Juniata County Library, Mifflintown PA Cromwell Belden Public Library Glen Ellyn Public Library, Glen Ellyn IL Novel Academy, Lake Elsinore CA Lima Public Library, Lima OH Southside Elementary, Shelbyville KY Cranberry Public Library, Cranberry Township PA Glen Lake Community Library, Empire MI Belen Public Library, Belen NM Brandon Free Public Library, Brandon VT Red Bank Public Library, Red Bank NJ Young Men’s Library Association, Ware MA Pike County Public Library, Pikeville KY Pike County Public Libraries, Phelps KY Cass District Library, Cassopolis MI Butler Catholic School, Butler PA Slippery Rock Community Library, Slippery Rock PA Lincoln County Library, Kemmerer WY Crowne Hill Elementary School, Temecula CA Prospect Community Library, Prospect PA Owensville Carnegie Public Library, Owensville IN Missoula Public Library, Missoula MT Ventress Memorial Library, Marshfield, MA Rock Falls Public Library District, Rock Falls IL Early Learning Connections, Butler PA Chippewa Falls Public Library, Chippewa Falls WI Amazing Grace Worship youth, Sidney KY Saegertown Area Library, Saegertown PA Union Public Library, Union NJ Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines Troop 661, Sartell MN Northland Public Library, Pittsburgh PA Stillwater County Library, Columbus MT Salem Public Library, Salem VA Albert Chapman Elementary School, Powell OH Elkhorn City Elementary, Elkhorn City KY Reed City Area District Library, Reed City MI Middletown Public Library, Middletown RI The Goddard School Beachwood, Beachwood OH CubScouts pack 614, Murrieta CA HIS Kids Christian School, Butler PA Western Elementary School, Centertown KY Verndale Area Christian Academy, Verndale MN Wood Family Home School, Afton WY Taunton Public Library, Taunton MA Plymouth Public Library, Plymouth MA McKinley Memorial Library, Niles OH Carver Memorial Library, Searsport ME Washington Elementary School, Dublin OH Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton NY Riverview Elementary/ Middle School, Grundy VA Central Middle School, Golden IL Slater Public Library, Slater IA Interstate 35 Elementary School, Truro IA Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy, Lake Leelanau MI Girl scout troop 71303 gsmh – Weir KS Carolina International School – Concord NC Lillian C. Schmitt Elementary – Columbus IN Bright Horizons at Tel Hai, Honey Brook PA Pasadena Public Library – Pasadena TX PS 44 Thomas C Brown, Staten Island NY La Barge Branch Library, La Barge WY Warrior Run Middle School – Turbotville PA Sutton County Public Library – Sonora TX Jasper County Public Library Rensselaer Branch, Rensselaer IN Little Dixie Regional Libraries – Moberly MO Geary Elementary Middle School – Left Hand WV Fairview Elementary – Richmond IN Lawrence Memorial Library, Bristol VT Christina’s Daycare, Dixon IL Barrett Elementary, Homestead PA BSA Troop 1907, Houston TX Lewis Cooper Jr. Memorial Library – Opelika AL Lincoln Public Library – Lincoln CA Pasco County Libraries – Hudson FL Land O’Lakes Library – Land O’Lakes FL Centennial Park Library – Holiday FL Columbia County Public Library – Lake City FL South Holiday Library – Holiday FL Navigator Academy of Leadership – Valrico FL Twin Falls Public Library – Twin Falls ID Zion Benton Public Library – Zion IL Girl Scouts Earth Day Event – Quincy IL Evergreen Park Public Library – Evergreen Park IL Peoria Public Library – Peoria IL Edwardsville Public Library – Edwardsville IL Seneca Public Library District – Seneca IL Jasper County Public Library – DeMotte IN South Whitley Community Public Library – South Whitely IN Ligonier Public Library – Ligonier IN Covington Public Library – Covington IN Brook Iroquois Washington Public Library – Brook IN Jasper County Public Library – Wheatfield IN Churdan Public Library – Churdan IA McCreary Public Library – Whitley City KY Weymouth Elementary School – Morrill ME Ames Elementary School – Searsmont ME Washington County Free Library – Hagerstown MD Berkshire Athenaeum – Pittsfield MA Community District Library – Coldwater MI Community District Library – Bancroft MI Community District Library – New Lothrop MI Community District Library – Byron MI Community District Library – Lennon MI Community District Library – Morrice MI Community District Library – Corunna MI Lapeer District Library – Lapeer MI Pearl River County Library System – Picayune MS The Paris Dulaney Memorial Library – Paris MO Paris Elementary – Paris MO Montgomery Co R-II Middle School – Montgomery City MO St. Francis Catholic School – Billings MT Kimball Public Library – Kimball NE Butler Memorial Library – Cambridge NE First Congregational UCC – Albuquerque NM Sidney Memorial Public Library – Sidney NY Cazenovia Public Library – Cazenovia NY Kingston Library – Kingston NY Kent Public Library – Kent Lakes NY Cub Scout Pack 123 – Jamestown NY Phoenicia Elementary School – Phoenicia NY Maxwell Memorial Library – Camillus NY Sharon Hill Daycare and Preschool – Cincinnatti OH North Canton Public Library – North Canton OH Girl Scout Troop #796 of Ohio’s Heartland – Dublin OH Scottish Corners Elementary – Dublin OH Franklin Public Library – Franklin PA Southmoreland Primary Center – Alverton PA Vandergrift Public Library – Vandergrift PA Hollidaysburg Area Public Library – Hollidaysburg PA Troop/Pack 217 – Chicora PA West Mifflin Middle School – West Mifflin PA Chippewa Branch Library – Beaver Falls PA Chicora Elementary School – Chicora PA West Warwick Public Library – West Warwick RI Johnsonville Public Library – Johnsonville SC Dell Rapids Carnegie Public Library – Dell Rapids SD Victoria Public Library – Victoria TX Bent Northrop Memorial Library – Fairfield VT Alburgh Public Library – Alburgh VT Readsboro Community Library – Readsboro VT Denmark Early Childhood Center – Denmark WI Grantsburg Public Library – Grantsburg WI Lakeview Community Library – Random Lake WI Alpine Branch Library – Alpine WY
I hope this message finds you and yours well, safe, and healthy.
It seems that Mother Nature has given us all a big time-out.
Everything has slowed way down, if not shut down completely. People are working remotely. Restaurants are offering take-out only. Sports canceled. Schools closed.
Thousands of health-care workers are on the front lines working to save lives – bless their souls.
Wow.
Who would have imagined?
50 years of Earth Day is upon us and fortunately, the worldwide pandemic cannot prevent us from planting trees! While some schools have canceled the giveaway in light of the current circumstances, many schools have decided to proceed as planned – finding creative ways to get trees in your hand. Some are combining giveaways with existing lunch programs and / or setting up a pick-up schedule.
We salute the teachers, principals, volunteers, and parents who have found creative ways to keep this program going for its 11th straight year!
And, we honor and respect those schools and leaders who decided to opt-out. No offense taken! In these unusual times, it is most important that we take care of ourselves first and those around us.
Most of the trees will be arriving this week in time for Earth Day (April 22). Distributions will be happening throughout this week and the following. If you have not received any pick-up instructions, please contact us.
Thank you again, school coordinators, teachers, parents, kids, volunteers, and sponsors for your participation in our program and for taking a small but important step in beautifying your community and our world.
Many of you will be receiving a White Spruce through Neighborhood Forest and The Family of Trees this spring (Earth Day / Week 2020).
Here is some information about this beautiful tree.
The white spruce grows to a height of 40–60 feet and a spread of 10–20 feet at maturity. This tree grows at a medium rate, with height increases of 13–24 inches per year.
This tree thrives in a lot of sunlight – ideally six hours of direct sunlight per day. The white spruce grows well in a variety of different soils and has some drought tolerance.
The white spruce does well when transplanted. It can withstand wind, heat, cold, drought, crowding and some shade. It does well in cities and often serves as rural windbreaks.
Aside from providing nesting for birds and shelter for other animals, white spruces provide food for many kinds of wildlife. Crossbills, evening grosbeaks, and red-breasted nuthatches feed on its seeds. The foliage is eaten by grouse, rabbits, and deer. Red squirrels bite open cones to eat the seeds, and they delight upon young, tender spruce shoots.
When Jacques Cartier sailed up the broad St. Lawrence River in 1535, he became the first European to see North America’s white spruces. As he laid claim to the lands he beheld, he proclaimed them to be “as beautiful…as one could wish for.” The trees, he said, were “the finest trees in the world.”