written by andrew j ramirez
The Rotary Peace Forest is a story about environmental justice and improving public health. 50
A
As a young boy, growing up in an inner-city neighborhood in Minnesota, trees seemed like a novelty. In the urban jungle, concrete sidewalks, walls, and asphalt roads surrounded small homes on postage stamp-sized lots. In my neighborhood, trees were few and far between. I did not realize at the time, that abundant tree coverage had become a luxury, reserved for more prosperous neighborhoods. Once a year, while I was growing up, my family would pile into our van and drive north into the pristine wilderness of Northern Minnesota for a summer vacation. As a city boy, I can remember being completely awestruck by the natural and wonderous beauty of the towering Boreal white pines around the Mississippi River Headwaters at the Itasca State Forest. As I grow older and reflect, I feel that it is our shared responsibility to protect these precious natural resources for future generations to enjoy. We can also bring these trees into neighborhoods where they are needed most. In researching urban forestry, I learned that more affluent neighborhoods in my community had homes situated on larger lots with mature and well cared for trees. Homeowners in these neighborhoods long realized the benefits that trees provide and had the means to plant and maintain them. They were also able to successfully advocate for trees to be planted in their local parks and along boulevards. This dichotomy of tree coverage between affluent and historically under-resourced communities has led to negative outcomes in the areas with fewer trees. The statistics suggest drastically different realities for residents in the communities. Areas with lower tree canopy coverage often have higher air pollution, poorer water quality and higher rates of asthma. Rotarians are people of action and taking steps to provide all communities with ecological benefits is a practice known as Environmental Justice. Our goal with this project was to plant trees in an area that was identified by Hennepin County as a High Priority Area. “It is truly an inspiring cause!” says Tom Gump, Rotary’s District Governor. As Rotarians, we wanted to do the right thing, in the right way. So, we enlisted the help of Tree Trust. They helped us analyze and identify a location that would benefit the most from more trees. We utilized a data-driven model incorporating complex demographic and geographic information laid out over maps including tree canopy cover, air quality, water quality, population density, median income, poverty rates and asthma related hospitalization rates. This scientific approach led us to select the city of Brooklyn Park for our project. As we continued to plan the project, it was crucial to make sure that we were planting the right kinds of trees. To achieve long-term sustainability of the trees planted, we needed to carefully select tree species that would be resistant to diseases that had devastated urban tree canopies in the state over the past fifty years. We avoided elm and ash tree varieties since we knew that they were susceptible to insects and diseases. On Saturday, May 1st, 2021, a Rotary Peace Forest will be planted. The effort will be co-led by Bill Sierks of Twin Cities Rotary Eco Club and up to 100 trees will be placed in the earth. The generosity of Rotarians with their time and financial resources made this project possible. Through teamwork, we were able to create meaningful and positive change in our community. Protecting the Environment is our shared responsibility and trees are part of our conservation legacy. Together, we can leave this planet better than we found it. lake society magazine minneapolisuptownrotary.org
