Greening the Capital

By Elizabeth Elbel

Friends of Trees rang in Arbor Month in Oregon’s capital city this season with the help of over 70 volunteers. Family members and students of Salem’s Hoover Elementary School joined community members to plant 20 new trees on the Hoover Elementary School and adjacent city park grounds.

This is Friends of Trees’ second planting in Salem and our first in partnership with the City of Salem and Salem Urban Forestry. Members of the school appreciated the opportunity to get together with their children to plant and give back to their community. We were able to beautify the school and the park, moving five yards of mulch in the process. It was amazing to see people power in motion as girl scouts, college students, mothers, fathers and the greater community worked together.

Salem was the first city in Oregon to gain Tree City USA status, and this month the city will celebrate its 37th consecutive year of being a Tree City USA. Friends of Trees looks forward to partnering with the Salem community in future tree planting endeavors. Look for opportunities next fall to get involved!

–Elbel is a Neighborhood Trees Senior Specialist for Friends of Trees.