Virginia Park tree planting project organized by the Ann Arbor Tree Conservancy
Say "Trees!" Tree planting in the Virginia Park neighborhood was organized by the Ann Arbor Tree Conservancy. (Photo: Ann Arbor Tree Conservancy)
A group of about 50 Virginia Park neighborhood residents, with the help of students from Slauson Middle School and volunteers from the Ann Arbor Tree Conservancy, planted about 50 trees in 4 hours on Nov. 7. I wasn't there to enjoy it, but Sue Perry sent a photo.
The project was a successful conclusion to the concerns expressed by neighborhood residents about the removal of maple trees in their neighborhood, as seen in this June 2009 Ann Arbor News story. Since that story, the city has published a complete tree inventory of all municipal trees, showing where they are, what condition they are in, and what recommended routine maintenance is suggested. Included in this tree inventory is a spreadsheet with every tree on every street - very useful if you are hunting for a gingko or an apple tree to admire or snack from.
Kerry Gray of the City of Ann Arbor Forestry Department did almost all of the city coordination for the project, which was a pilot project.
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Fri, Nov 20, 2009 : 11:25 a.m.
Lynn Borset, whose name does not appear in this article, did uncounted hours of work, on behalf of the Ann Arbor Tree Conservatory, to make the Nov 7 tree planting in Virginia Park a success. She coordinated the delivery of flyers, established the tree planting site list, and worked with Kerry Gray, coordinating stump removal, tilling, and everything else that had to be accomplished before the planting could be done. There was much documentation to be done regarding the planting sites and tree selection, and also much information to be disseminated to the Virginia Park neighborhood as everyone prepared for tree planting. As the article does mention, the Virginia Park tree planting will serve as a pilot project, a model that other neighborhoods can follow. Currently, Lynn is preparing check lists, and materials for future plantings so that other neighborhoods will not have to "reinvent the wheel" as they work with the city to renew Ann Arbors street tree canopy. Lynn, your neighbors thank you for 53 new trees.