Tree Heritage Program (NA-97-0313)

This report aimed at uniting the youth and elderly in an educational urban forestry program in Watertown, NY.

After two ice storms and a "Microburst," the residents of Watertown, NY, especially the children, had become very up close and personal with their trees. Downed power lines, damaged roofs and blocked roads were often caused by a downed tree. The resulting landscape looked like a toothless mouth grinning bleakly. Residents on in years remembered those old trees as friends from childhood. Youngsters lost shade and a place to play. A common thread — the urban forest, connected these generations. To help bridge the gap, the "Tree Heritage" program was developed which hoped to bring the memories of seniors together with youth to learn about our urban forest and celebrate the memories of by-gone days. The program also focused on the trees of the future in a properly planned and managed urban forest.

To reach the goal of making a connection between seniors and youth, a great audience to work with was found in two local parochial schools in Watertown, NY - Holy Family and Sacred Heart. These two schools had all the ingredients: senior teachers who knew some of the history of the site, the appropriate age children, and a property that had trees and room for more. With the help of the Tree Watertown Committee, instructors were secured to man and teach five learning stations — Planting Trees, What Eats a Tree?, How Trees Benefit Our Yard, The History of Trees At Our School and Watertown, and Which Tree Am I and Where Should I be Planted?. A total of 116 youth and approximately 10 teachers were reached with these educational sessions. Twenty-four trees were planted at the two schools in conjunction with the educational program. Students, within put from their senior teachers, then produced a "Heritage Book" with information about the trees that were once there, photos, stories and other artifacts that may help tell the story of their urban trees.

To help document and record the program, a videotape was produced to tell the story of Tree Heritage and illustrate how it could be replicated in other urban settings. A booklet outlining the steps was also developed.

So, what was the end result? Beyond the deliverables required by this grant, a real sense of a "teachable moment" was realized. As mentioned earlier, the past urban forestry disasters brought to the forefront that it was time to wake up and deal with our aging urban trees. Connecting the past with the present and the future also allowed the Tree Heritage program to span generations. These youth, our future, will be planting and managing our new millennial urban forests with a better understanding and appreciation of trees. They will indeed inherit the new tree heritage!

Attachments

Click here to download this final grant report as a PDF.