Providence Neighborhood Planting Program

Can you lend a hand for our August 13th "Tree"LC day in the West End?

Trees in the city have a lot to contend with, but one of the most frequent reasons that young street trees die is damage from cars. During this 'tree'LC day, we'll be installing wooden bollards around tree pits in the West End to protect them from vehicles.

🕔 Meeting time: We'll be working from 5pm-6:30pm.
📍 Meeting Spot: Conlan Junior Memorial Park, at the intersection of Sorrento and Union Ave
🥾Bring: Water, closed toed shoes, and work gloves if you have them.
🌱Please register so we know who is coming! Head to www.pnpp.org/volunteer to RSVP or find the link in our bio.

A poem from one of our tree-loving poet heroes, Ross Gay. Last week marked 12 years since Eric Garner's death.

Published in 2015 in Split This Rock's The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database. https://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database/poem/a-small-needful-fact

With Spring planting season in the rearview mirror, we shift some of our focus to helping people learn how to take care of all those trees we plant, to make sure they grow up to be the healthy and structurally sound mature trees that do so much to make us all cooler, healthier, and happier!

We’ve had had a blast the last few weeks leading trainings in the basics of urban & community forestry, young tree maintenance, and structural pruning with Groundwork Rhode Island’s Green Team, GWRI and Southside Community Land Trust’s Youth Change Makers, and Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council’s Arboleros!

July 15th Program: 'What is wrong with that tree?'🌳

Join the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) and PNPP to learn about some of the common physical challenges and threats our city trees face!

PNPP's Planting & Community Engagement Coordinator and certified arborist Tonay Gooday-Ervin will help us recognize the symptoms and signs of a tree under stress, share information about some of the most common pests diseases, and environmental conditions that contribute to the decline or death of urban trees, when/how you can do something to address an issue, and where to find additional resources and get more help!

Offered in English and Spanish; childcare and light refreshments offered.

🕕 July 15th, 6-8pm
📍Location: United Way (50 Valley St, 02909)
✅Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whats-wrong-with-that-tree-tickets-1993345898241

Whew, it’s hot! 🌡️😎🔆☀️

Calling all tree heroes: give a young tree a drink this week (and every week through early fall!)

💧💧💧

The number one cause of young street tree death is insufficient watering– rainfall isn’t enough! A few tips for most effective watering:

✅ A young urban tree needs 10-15 gallons every week from May-October for the first few years after planting.

✅ It’s better to give trees a deep soak once a week than a more frequent shallow watering.

✅ It’s best to water early in the morning or later in the evening– avoid the hottest part of the day.

✅ A five gallon bucket with 1/8" holes drilled in the bottom is a great option if you don’t have a hose handy– drill a few

Photos: Canopy Crew keeping Providence's young street trees watered and healthy 💪💪💪

🔗For a tree care card and more info on tree watering head to pnpp.org/tree-care-tips.

So fun to get these sweet thank you notes in the mail from students at Kizirian Elementary!

Kizirian is currently being housed at the Narducci Learning Center while their building is being renovated. This spring, with the help of community volunteers, partners, and the third grade classes, we planted 32 trees around the Learning Center.

Planting trees around public schools is one goal that was identified in the community-created PVD Tree Plan. Young people are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, and by planting more trees around schools and in playgrounds, we can mitigate summer heat spikes in places where children gather. Trees also provide learning opportunities and enhance outdoor classrooms. Some researchers have even linked greener urban schools to better academic performance! 🍎

A big thank you to school staff and the Providence Urban Wildlife Conservation Partnership for working with us on this project!

As we welcome the first days of summer (in spirit, anyway!), Providence has 224 more street trees shading our neighborhoods, thanks to the volunteers and community partners that came out to join us at planting days this spring!

In partnership with the City of Providence Forestry division at the Providence Parks Department, this season we:
🌳Planted 224 new street trees
🌿 Planted 44 different species or cultivars of trees.
🌆 Added trees across ten different neighborhoods, including tree-equity priority areas in South Providence, the West End, and Charles!
🎒 Worked with Providence Public Schools and the Providence Urban Wildlife Conservation Partnership to plant trees and shrubs in the schoolyard at Narducci Learning Center, a PPSD "swing site" in the North End of Providence.
🌱 Planted out the first of our "Sapling Stewards" saplings in their "forever homes".

It takes a village to grow an urban forest, and as always we have so many partners to thank: Johnson and Wales Eco Club for being such enthusiastic and long-term partners, Brown Med School's Eco Collaborative, Groundwork Rhode Island's Green Team & Change Makers, Garden Time's Green Reentry Jobs Training Cohort, Beta Omega Chi, Providence Urban Wildlife Conservation Partnership, Partnership for Providence Parks, SHPI - Smith Hill Partners' Initiative, and Quisqueya En Acción for turning out to plant and care for trees across the city this Spring!

Thanks also to Providence City Council Councilors Mary Kay Harris, Juan Pichardo, Pedro Espinal and Trinity Square Together for teaming up with us to keep greening up Broad Street through the Beautify Broad St initiative--and we were so excited to be joined for our Arbor Day Planting at Narducci Learning Center by Mayor Brett Smiley and Councilor Roias! And of course thanks always to our close collaborators and partners the Garden Time Canopy Crew, who are by our side planting after planting, sharing their expertise with volunteers and making sure the trees get planted properly :)

Finally, a big thank you this season also to Building Futures, whose Building Green Futures cohort not only helped us plant along Allens Ave, but also provided 95 trees from their Valley St tree nursery initiative to be planted out on the streets!

During a day of planting trees along Allens Ave, trainees from Building Futures Green Futures job training cohort enjoyed a lunch break at the Public Street public waterfront access point!

We know it will take a lot more than trees to make the Allens Ave corridor a hospitable place where humans and other life forms can exist and thrive, but getting some more trees planted is a start!

With guidance and input from , the Washington Park Association and the Port Shoreline Resiliency Cohort, we planted 22 new trees so far this Spring--and have more planned for the fall… Stay tuned for community “TreeLC” tree stewardship activities this summer along Allens Ave!

Another planting day in the books! This past Saturday, we focused on the West End and Broad Street in partnership with . The rain held off until we were done, and then gently showered the new trees to help them get established. 🌧️

Thanks to and Canopy Crew for your help!

Want to get in on the planting fun? You have one last chance for the season! This upcoming Saturday, we'll be planting in the Blackstone and Mt Hope neighborhoods, and then helping with planting their super exciting microforest at Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex (JSEC) on the South Side.

👉 www.pnpp.org/volunteer to find out more and sign up as a volunteer!