T H E O F F I C I A L NE W S L E T T E R F O R U P WI T H T R E E S - FA L L 2 0 1 6 C E L E B R AT I N G 4 0 Y E A R S O F P L A N T I N G , P R E S E R V I N G , & P R O M O T I N G T U L S A’ S U R B A N F O R E S T
GREEN LEAF GALA TULSA LOVES TREES
Up With Trees hosted its seventh annual Green Leaf Gala at the Pavilion at Expo Square. Celebrating 40 years of Up With Trees and Tulsa’s Love for Trees, guests entered a tree-filled pavilion, and were entertained by endless opportunities such as the “Bourbon, Bubbles & Bling,” “40 Golden Trees Dinner”, a travel-packed silent auction, a dazzling live auction, games, and dancing to the lively performance by the band, Lost Wax. Needless to say, it was a night of continuous surprises and treats! Thanks to the efforts of our Event Chairs Rania Nasreddine and Jessica Yoon, Honorary Chairs Jim and Alice Costas, Anniversary Chair Bonnie Klein, and an incredible team of Gala Committee members, the evening raised more than $250,000, resulting in one of the most successful events Up With Trees has held to date. The dollars raised at this year’s Gala help us continue in our mission to plant, preserve, and promote Tulsa’s urban forest. The night was a celebration of not only Up With Trees’ 40 years, but the future of our community and its trees.
IN THIS ISSUE L.A.N.D. FO RUM
TULSA URBAN FOREST MA S T E R P L A N R E VE A L
TREE TRIP
A LETTER
FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – STEVE GRANTHAM It’s hard to believe that we are coming to the end of Up With Trees’ 40th year anniversary. This year we have celebrated the progress and completion of projects that have impacted the development of our community - projects such as planting 10,000 trees through ReGreen Tulsa, Downtown Tulsa’s planting initiative, and progressing in beautifying the I-44 corridor. These successes would never have come to fruition without the overwhelming affection that Tulsans have for their city and its trees. As we approach this planting season, we are focusing on how this year will positively affect the long-term future of Tulsa. In December, we are revealing the completed Tulsa Urban Forest Master Plan which will guide planting projects of the future towards high-need areas, and work to improve the health and vitality of our city. But as the past 40 years have shown us, success for our city only comes from projects where the citizens, government, and private businesses work in tandem toward making Green Country greener, healthier, and safer. I ask you to take advantage of our programs and opportunities. Become a Citizen Forester. Engage in our planned giving program. Plant a tree. With your support, Up With Trees will build on the momentum of the last 40 years and continue to grow Tulsa’s urban forest, making this the city that more people call home.
Sid Patterson
Founder (1921-2012)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael Patton
Bob Jack
Chris Hodges Secretary
Bill Ainsworth Anne Brockman Chris Carter Terrell Hoagland
Joe Howell
Vice President
President
Kathy Jackson Joy McGill E.J. Oppenheimer Laura Parrott
2nd Vice President
Jeffrey Case Treasurer
Nathan Pickard Joe Roberts Susan Scott Vanessa Thompson
Ron Walker Tom Wallace Paul Woodul
CITIZEN FORESTER CLASS COMING IN FEBRUARY
Join 200 fellow Oklahomans in our
Citizen Forester Program and enrich your knowledge of
tree care, tree biology,
pests, planting, and urban forestry
this February!
To apply for the Citizen Forester program, go to www.upwithtrees.org or contact Taylor Melone at (918) 610 - 8733, taylor@upwithtrees.org to have an application mailed to you. Class size is limited, so be sure and apply today!
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT-
AMY RIDDLE
Since Amy Riddle graduated the 2016 Citizen Forester class, she continues to commute from her home in Drumright, to Tulsa in order to distribute seedlings to the public and assess hundreds of the newly-planted trees along I-44. She has also been an invaluable advocate for urban forestry awareness among youth. From teaching kids how to plant flowers at Tulsa’s May Fest to joining Up With Trees in the classroom for Tree School, she continues to assist in educating students on the benefits of trees. “Tree school is a very worthwhile experience. I’ve done volunteer work with younger kids for years and am always amazed at the depth of their little brains,” says Amy. Up With Trees is so grateful for her dedication and we look forward to making a larger impact on Tulsa’s community with her involvement.
DALLAS & FORT WORTH TREE TRIP This fall, Up With Trees held its first overnight Tree Trip and it was a huge success! Saturday morning we put Tulsa in our rear view mirrors and headed to Dallas, Texas to enjoy the many colors of the Dallas Arboretum. Arriving at the Arboretum in the afternoon, Texas welcomed us with hot temperatures, but our group stayed in high spirits as we enjoyed delicious food, pumpkin patches, bronze statues, and beautiful surroundings. The following day we left the hotel and made our way to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens and were able to relax in their peaceful Japanese Gardens. Standing on their many wooden decks, under gorgeous shade, we fed the koi and turtles and walked the winding paths through artfully-crafted plant life. Moving on to the main gardens of the property, it was fitting to end such a wonderful trip to the sound of water fountains and squirrels running across the garden. It truly was a magnificent trip and we are so grateful to the wonderful group of people that joined us. Looking forward to our next adventure on the 2017 Fall Tree Trip to St. Louis
Botanical Gardens!
Tulsa, Oklahoma November 15-16, 2017
Forum creating di alogue ab out planning an d planting in an urban se tting
With the landscape ordinances for the City of Tulsa up for revision, this year’s L.A.N.D. Forum was focused on providing input to the leaders that will be drafting and revising the ordinances for the City of Tulsa. Attended by a diverse group of local nurseries, developers, landscape architects, and construction companies, the morning involved two breakout sessions focused on the challenges and potential solutions regarding Tulsa’s current landscape requirements and ordinances. After evaluating topics ranging from maintenance standards to irrigation, the forum ended with an open “Question and Answer” panel that touched on the city’s plan for landscape ordinances and what the city is prioritizing in way of landscape requirements. The panel was made up of City Councilor, Anna America, Theron Warlick from the City Planning Department of the City of Tulsa, and Dwayne Wilkerson from INCOG. The event allowed for in depth discussion that resulted in creating a network to utilize L.A.N.D. Forum participants in the process of updating landscape requirements and regulations.
A New Way To Give Leave a legacy for Tulsa by joining our Evergreen Society. To learn more about planned giving options visit upwithtrees.org. Is Up With Trees already listed in your will? Let us know at (918) 610 - 8733.
Up With Trees is celebrating 40 years of planting, preserving and promoting Tulsa’s Urban Forest. Follow Up With Trees #TreesmeanTulsa
TULSA URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN REVEAL
Our community’s trees and the urban forest impact everyone who lives, visits, owns property and works in the greater Tulsa area. These trees provide multiple economic, environmental and social benefits for the community, thus, requiring our dedication and attention to their ongoing care and maintenance. In order to ensure that Tulsa continues to be a green and vibrant community, Up With Trees has worked with Davey Resource Group to develop a comprehensive Tulsa Urban Forest Master Plan that will be revealed to the public on December 2nd. The development of the plan included a vision set by tree experts, city officials, invested stakeholders, public feedback, and various reports assessing the health and quantity of Tulsa’s trees. Current projects that stem from the development of this Master Plan include developing a 5 year maintenance and planting plan for all Tulsa Public Schools, increasing planting efforts to assist Tulsa Community College campuses in becoming Tree Campus USA certified, collaborate with INCOG to incorporate the Master Plan into the PLANiTulsa Comprehensive Plan, a ma jor beautification project along the corridor from Tulsa’s airport to Downtown Tulsa, and with the identification of the pest Emerald Ash Borer being present in Oklahoma, working with a taskforce including City Councilors Phil Lakin and Anna America and Mayor elect GT Bynum to create a response plan for the City of Tulsa. Aside from these incredibly exciting opportunities, this Plan will assist in coordinating the planting and maintenance efforts of Tulsa to grow a larger and healthier urban forest for our city.
Keystones from the Tulsa Urban Forest Master Plan
To review the full Tulsa Urban Forest Master Plan, visit www.upwithtrees.org.
CURRENT PROJECTS TREE SCHOOL: CAP TULSA
Up With Trees has partnered with CAP Tulsa to plant 25 trees and provide maintenance for those trees at four of CAP Tulsa’s Early Childhood Education Centers. In addition to the plantings, Up With Trees’ Education Coordinator, John Kahre, visited CAP Tulsa’s Skelly, McClure, and Sand Springs Early Childhood Education Center schools this fall to engage children in the Tree School education program and will visit and Frost CAP Center in the Spring. Up With Trees’ Tree School program is designed to utilize trees as an educational tool to engage students through tree curriculum and tree planting. Working with students at the age of 4, they were able to learn about the importance of trees and about tree care based on the type of trees planted at their school. As the classes participated in the plantings, the kids affectionately gave each tree a name and will continue to work with these trees as they grow and shade their playgrounds. This collaboration is possible thanks to one of Up With Trees’ long-time supporters, Bonnie Klein. Through this partnership, children are able to have an engaging and hands on learning experience focused on nature while participating in tree planting.
EUGENE FIELD ELEMENTARY FOOD FOREST Eugene Field Elementary is now home to a newly planted food forest made up of fruit and nut trees. This project, being generously funded by Covanta, tailors Up With Trees’ Tree School program to address the food scarcity issue facing West Tulsa. Not only will these trees serve as a food resource for the students and community, but they will also be utilized as a tool in the STEM focused curriculum at the school. The day of the planting, students ages 9-10 helped plant 20 trees around the South and West sides of the school, learning of the real benefits these trees will have on the elementary school’s energy consumption, in turn re-appropriating money from the school’s utility bills back to educational resources. At later dates, Global Gardens will be using this food forest when working with the science classes on the subjects of nutrition and sustainability. This particular planting project is a great example of taking advantage of the multitude of benefits trees provide, from food to shade to the monetary benefits, and applying them in an educational setting. As these trees grow, Eugene Field Elementary will be able to help their students and the West Tulsa community grow with them.
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID Tulsa, OK. PERMIT NO. 512
1102 SOUTH BOSTON AVENUE, TULSA, OK 74119 Address Service Requested
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES:
HOW TO GET STARTED AS A
VOLUNTEER
Go to www.upwithtrees.org for the Volunteer Form/Group Volunteer Form and the Liability Waiver. Submit these forms to Taylor Melone at taylor@upwithtrees.org or mail it to: Up With Trees Attn: Taylor Melone 1102 South Boston Avenue Tulsa, OK 74119
Assess the State of Tulsa’s Urban Forest by Evaluating the Health/Status of our Trees
Care for our Trees (Clean Up Litter, Mulch, Water, and Weed)
Educate Children in Local Schools with our Tree School Program
Giveaway Trees/Saplings to the Public
Grow our Urban Forest by Planting Trees (October - March)
Join Up With Trees in the Community at Booths, Parades, and Events
Learn More About our Urban Forest and Become a Citizen Forester
Prune Trees and Help Ensure Their Future Success
Serve on a Committee (Development, Education, or Operations)
Use Your Artistic Side to Build and Stain/Paint our Wooden Signs