ANNUAL REPORT 2014
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When I talk to our donors, sponsors, and volunteers, each person has a different reason for contributing to the Up With Trees mission. Some want to beautify the Tulsa area; some want to ensure clean water and air for the next generation; and some simply desire to make a positive impact in the community. I, on the other hand, love to work at Up With Trees because of Saturday afternoons. That may seem a weird day or time to you on which to base my job satisfaction, so let me explain. Most of our large plantings are done on Saturdays. Prior to the planting, a lot of work has been done – dollars have been raised, plans have been submitted, revised and finally approved, trees ordered, shipped and delivered. We make sure we have the utilities marked, volunteers secured, and equipment loaded. Then, it’s show time. Saturday mornings are a bustle of activity. Our staff is focused on getting the trees to the right locations, making sure volunteers are safe, providing instructions as to how to properly plant, and providing quality control to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. And, over those next few hours, that’s when a barren field is turned into a small oasis. A playground is changed to provide shade to generations of children. A roadway is beautified for anyone and everyone who passes by today and for decades to come. That’s why I love Saturday afternoons. As I walk off of the planting site, I can see all of the work that has been done and the immediate benefits that those trees provide. But, in my mind, I can project forward to see those trees grow. I see the numerous children playing in their shade, and the families sitting and reading under their branches. I can see Tulsa greener and more vibrant than it is today. This changing landscape is only possible because of the generous support of our community. Thank you for your support. Thank you for Saturday afternoons.
- Steve Grantham
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If I have learned nothing else in my two years as President of Up With Trees, it is that change is constant, and that, while at times intimidating, it can also bring forth opportunity for growth. It can shake us up and make us exercise talents and strengths that we had never fully utilized before. Directed in a constructive way, change can shape the look and feel of an organization, a city, and a region for decades into the future. As I near the end of my tenure as President at Up With Trees, I realize that, while I will miss serving in this role, changes of leadership in an organization allow new vitality and passion to spring forth. This type of evolution fosters strength and resiliency. It is this strength and resiliency that Up With Trees has shown time and again that will allow Up With Trees to further its mission of making Tulsa a sustainable and thriving city. As part of this mission, Up With Trees’ efforts to plant and preserve Tulsa’s urban forest have made Tulsa a more beautiful and sustainable city in which to live. Over the past year, our capabilities and scope have grown. With that growth we have had many opportunities to continue to change and improve Tulsa’s landscape through projects like Tree Downtown Tulsa, Re-Green, our city medians and our Citizen Forester Program. I am very proud of what we accomplished in 2014. The effect of our plantings and maintenance will benefit the inhabitants of Tulsa for generations to come, and Up With Trees will continue to make a lasting impact on the community. I’m looking forward to seeing where we will go from here.
- Shane Fernandez
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TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1
Letter from the Executive Director
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Letter from the Board President
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Mission Statement
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A Changing Landscape
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Re-Green
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The Faces of Change
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Changing the Future of the Urban Forest
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Change = Impact
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Up With Trees Financials
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Up With Trees Board
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Up With Trees Donors
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MISSION STATEMENT Up With Trees’ mission is to beautify greater Tulsa by planting trees and to create urban forestry awareness through education. With the generous support of donors and volunteers, we plant along streets and trails, at parks, schools, fire stations, neighborhoods, and many other public properties. To achieve this mission, Up With Trees is dedicated to planting, preserving and promoting Tulsa’s urban forest.
A CHANGING LANDSCAPE “To everything, there is a season … A time to sow, and a time to reap…”
The landscape of Tulsa is constantly changing – buildings are torn down and new buildings built, roads are widened and neighborhoods expanded. The story of Tulsa’s sprawling urban landscape is one of change and renewal, and within that story, the urban forest is no different. The trees change with the seasons, but also with the city layout, the people, and the passing of time. We are grateful to be a part of this changing landscape and to impact how the City of Tulsa looks now and will look for generations to come.
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Up With Trees planted 312 trees at 43 new and adoptable tree sites along the highways in 2014.
A CHANGING LANDSCAPE IN OWASSO “We are proud to support Up with Trees as it does something that will give beauty for many lifetimes.�
In the spring of 2014, long-time sponsor Lynn Owens with Frontier Trucking contacted Up With Trees to discuss planting trees in Owasso. Driving Highway 169 every day back and forth from Owasso to Tulsa, he said, was simply depressing because of the barren and sparse land. His hope was to spur beautification in the Owasso community by sponsoring a planting project along that highway corridor. With his sponsorship, Up With Trees was able to plant 23 trees at the intersection of Highway 169 and 96th Street North. The generosity of our sponsors allows us to continue to change the landscape of Green Country and increase the scope of our impact.
6 Up With Trees attracted considerable local attention by removing several dead and declining trees in a large median along Yale Avenue between 51st and 61st streets. The median, which had previously held more than 30 flowering pear trees, had gradually lost several of the trees and reached the point of needing to be completely refurbished. When the trees were first removed, many Tulsans expressed concern to see so many beautiful trees being cut down. Meg Myers Morgan was one of those citizens. Meg explained “While driving down Yale, between 51st and 61st, I noticed all the trees in one of the large medians were being taken out. I immediately called Up With Trees to report it. I didn’t know it was actually their project or why it was being done. They explained the situation and the need for, and value of, lower maintenance trees in that area. I learned two valuable pieces of information from that phone call. One was the opportunities and limitations in urban forestry. The second was that the organization is on top of every tree in the city! I’m glad to know Up With Trees exists to ensure the beauty of our city and the protection of our urban forest.” Later in the year, Up With Trees replanted the Yale Median with 33 new and healthy bald cypress trees. An extensive amount of work went into removing the compromised pear trees, grinding out the stumps, and lowering the grade of the median to facilitate the planting of the new trees and to ensure their long-term success.
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Re-Green The 2007 ice storm led to the creation of a city-wide initiative to Re-Green Tulsa by planting 10,000 trees in public spaces including parks, schools and public rights-of-way. Below are just a few of the places Up With Trees planted in 2014 as part of the Re-Green Tulsa Program. Union: In the largest single-day planting since Up With Trees’ inception in 1976, Up With Trees staff and volunteers planted 109 trees at the Union Soccer Field. Parents and athletes participated in the planting that will provide much needed shade at the fields. TCC Northeast: Up With
Trees partnered with Tulsa Community College – Northeast Campus to plant 132 trees at their campus to help with their application to become a Tree Campus USA.
Citizen Forester Arboretum: As part of Up With Trees’ ongoing education efforts, 40 different species of trees were planted at Terrace Park to create a Citizen Forester Teaching Arboretum that will be utilized for continuing education classes in tree identification.
Memorial High School: Memorial High School completed a parking lot renovation project in 2014 and realized that trees would be beneficial in the islands throughout the lot to provide shade and reduce the heat island effect. Up With Trees planted 26 trees throughout the parking lot to help with this project.
Global Gardens: Thanks to an ongoing partnership with the local non-profit organization Global Gardens, Up With Trees worked to help expand the garden at Eugene Field Elementary where the students have the opportunity to plant and learn about growing food in an urban setting. Up With Trees planted peach and apple trees with the students’ help in the spring.
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THE FACES OF CHANGE Up With Trees has a vast group of volunteers and Citizen Foresters who are our hands and feet in the community. They plant and prune trees and help us to change the landscape of Tulsa. They are also our voice in the community. They educate people about ways that trees impact our daily lives. They are the faces of change for our organization.
Mike Perkins: Trees play one of the most important roles in Tulsa being what it is. The people in the community are important as well. Putting these two items together to help our community stay “green” is what will continue to make Tulsa a very special place.
Susan Snodgrass: I think that my efforts as an Up With Trees volunteer help to keep Tulsa a more healthy city. Trees present a soothing green canopy at the same time they are providing cleaner, fresher air.
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Millie Hardesty-York:
Rebekah Herrick
Jim Brousseau:
Change in Tulsa impacts change in the world. Plants and trees are crucial to our climate. Our concrete society has forgotten that trees and plants remove carbon from the air and store it safely under ground. Any person who promotes, plants and takes care of those plants will impact the health of our planet, one tree at a time.
I feel that being a Citizen Forester impacts change by helping to make Tulsa a healthier and more livable city because of the aesthetic and environmental value of trees.
We take pride in Tulsa, enjoy calling it home and want to make it a better place with an expansive green urban forest.
VOLUNTEER H GHL GHTS • In 2014, volunteers provided more than 11,000 hours of volunteer labor for Up With Trees. • Three volunteer pruning crews helped to prune hundreds of trees at 144 Up With Trees tree sites.
Urban Forestry Grant As the urban forest is constantly changing and evolving, so is our understanding of its trees and the best ways to water and care for them. Thanks to a matching grant from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Up With Trees has implemented a 3-year research project which will analyze the effects of various watering methods on coniferous and deciduous trees planted in the Oklahoma climate. This data will help to guide our operations in the future as well as educate the public about the most effective means to establish a newly-planted tree.
5 test groups:
No water Gator bags Water crystals Regular watering Biochar
15 3-Gallon Deciduous 15 3-Gallon Coniferous 15 15-Gallon Deciduous 15 15-Gallon Coniferous Data to be gathered:
Height Diameter breast height Relative health Structure
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The greatest asset that Up With Trees provides the Tulsa community is the trees that we plant. Not only do we plant hundreds of trees each year, we also continue to maintain the tens of thousands of trees that we have planted and that we maintain over the last four decades. In 2014, we set out to catalog the trees that have been planted and maintain to create an inventory of Up With Trees’ sites. Volunteers and staff spent countless hours in the field gathering data about the trees, including tree species, height, diameter breast height and relative health and structure. This information will not only help to assess the current needs of Tulsa’s urban forest, but will also provide an excellent tool as we plan for the future of our constantly changing landscape.
1k GAL.
One Up With Trees’ tree provides these benefits:
Up With Trees is responsible for 20,000 trees in the greater Tulsa Area
1oz.
1oz.
1oz.
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1,000 gallons of rainfall each year, which is kept out of storm-water systems, removes 3.2 oz of particulate from the air, and has a replacement value of $2,000. The impact of Up With Trees to the greater Tulsa area is 20,000,000 gallons of water run-off kept out of storm-water systems, 2 Tons of pollutants , and a replacement value of $40,000,000.
THIS IS WHAT 20,000 TREES LOOKS LIKE. THEY KEEP 20,000,000 GALLONS OF WATER OUT OF OUR STORM-WATER S
SYSTEMS, 2 TONS OF PARTICULATES OUT OF OUR ATMOSPHERE, AND HAVE A REPLACEMENT VALUE OF $40,000,000.
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As an organization, we are stewards, not only of our donor dollars, but of the asset that Up With Trees provides to the greater Tulsa area – trees. These trees provide ongoing benefits to the community, while also requiring ongoing care to maintain their health and vitality. Because of the financial resources required to ensure that these trees continue to be an investment and improve the landscape, Up With Trees committed to establishing a tree maintenance fund in 2014. This fund will allow Up With Trees to continue to care for the trees and meet the commitment that we have made to our sponsors, donors and to the general public.
Revenue Contributions Grants Investment Income Planting & Site Revenue
41% 12% 15% 32%
Expenses Programs Administrative Fundraising
84% 8% 8%
$547,916 $160,365 $200,457 $427,642
Total: $1,336,382
$979,580 $97, 958 $88,629
Total: $1,166,167
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THE BOARD Shane Fernandez, President Michael Patton, Vice President Joe Howell, Secretary Bob Jack, Treasurer Laura Parrott, 2nd Vice President Bill Ainsworth Richard Bewley Jeffrey Case Nick Doctor Ken Harwood April Stuart Chris Hodges Terrell Hoagland
John Kahre Tim Nall E. J. Oppenheimer Cassie Reese Susan Scott Ron Walker Tom Wallace Paul Woodul
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DONORS UP TO $499 Lesley Adams-Wilborn Teresa and Alex Adwan Gilbert and Ellen Agronis Brooke Allen Keith and Dr. Thomas Allen Kimberly Altier Melanie and Lex Anderson Kari and Richard Arcide Mary W. Athens Beverly A. Atteberry Joseph Ault Craig Baker Kathy and Ken Basden Raymond Batchelor John R. Bates Kristi and Gary Beaver Vera Berlin Betty Bermudez Linda and Phillip Berrey Dr. James Randolph Birch James Bottomley Bettie and Montie Box Shakira Brauchie Patricia and Edward Brett Alicia E. Brewer Anne Brockman Jim Brosseau Jennifer Brown Twila J. Brown Julie and Charles Brown-Foote Natalie Brundred
Carol B. Bryan Milissa Burkart Carol and William Burnett Stephanie Cameron Myers D. Campbell Richard Cantrell Mary Capehart Ellis Chandlee Tricia Childress Candice Chinsethagid Cory Christofferson Carolyn Clack Elizabeth and Bill Clary Marjean and Charles Cole Dr. and Mrs. Richard Cooper Natalie and Alex Costas Patricia and Tom Costner Jason Cox Douglas L. Cozine Airyn Cristiano Catherine M. Cullem Linda and Bill Daniel Janet and Kirk Davis DCP Midstream Eileen DeCastro Rhyanna DeTuathana E.J. and James Dillinger Dunitz Family Charitable Foundation Brenda and Jim Dunn Allison Dyer Loraine and Lewis A. Edmonson Betsy and Tim Endicott Diane and George Erbacher
Mary George Ewing Mark Farrow Tillie and George Fein Nancy and Raymond Feldman Julie Frank Thomas L. Fuller Linda Gallahar Sonia Lopez Garcia Eva Garringer Craig Geatches Susan and Dr. Phillip A. Gelwick Beth and Terry Gilliland William G. von Glahn Judith F. Goodale Lee Anne and Stephen Griffin Sharon Griffin Debora Riggs Grillot Carolyn L. Grove Sharon and Thomas Gurney Carolyn Hankins Ellen and Charles Hartman Amelia A. Hobbs Margaret P. and Curtis J. Holdridge Linda and James Holland C. A. and W. R. Horkey Delma J. Houghton Ashley Hughes Bill Hunt Rachel Hutchings Deborah A. Johnson Jerri and Jenk Jones, Jr. DeAnna and John Kahre Kathleen and Eugene Kaminsky, Jr.
Nantelle Kemp Michael D. Keys Bill G. Kidder Judith and Donald Kihle Hayden Kiser Adriane and Phil Lakin Edward C. Lawson, Jr. Laura E. Lee Elizabeth May and E. H. LeLeux Lin Bacon, Phillips & Bacon, Inc. Susan Loomis Nancy Lopez Peggy and Rodney Loyd Carole and David Lundquist Patsy Lyon Brenda and Bruce Magoon Michelle and Dan Mainprize Loren Malone Philip E. Marshall Sarah Ann and Max Mason Khumi Tonsing Massey Jeannie McDaniel Michele McGinn Rebecca and Kevin McMurray Ni Yi Mei Brenda Melancon Candace & David O. Merifield Marina Metevelis Judy Meyer Mildred Millspaugh Mimosa Tree Capital Partners LLC Linda M. Morgan Ruth and Marvin Morse
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Paula W. Neal Jeffrey L. Newhouse New York Life Insurance Cody Nicholson OSU Extension Office Ashok and Minakshi Patel Natalie Patterson Anna America and Michael Patton Michael Perkins Charles L. Petersen Leslie and Robert Peterson Robert Peterson Connie and David Phillips Jillian A. Pick Kenneth and Kathy Praeus, Preaus Landscape of Tulsa Stephen W. Ray Julie and Edward Roberts, Jr. Elizabeth Robinson Carol Lee Sanders Beverly and Dr. Richard Schafer Kathy and David Schmigle Heather Schroeder Helen and Dr. Jerry Sisler Tammy Slater Sue and Ann Alex Smith Carolyn S. Snider Cherl and Ronald W. Snyder David Sobel Judith G. Soltow Nancy and Henry Sossin Mary L. Spears Ronda and John Spears
Belynda and Weldon Spitzer Lori and Gordon Sprouse Celia and Tony Stuart-Powles Jean N. Tate Diane M. Tempelmeyer Barbara Thomas Sandra Thomas Valerie M. Thompson Melanie Tipton Janet Aileen and Harry Todd Charles and Rhoda Transue Marilyn Inhofe and Ralph Tucker Diane Turner Laura Norman Tyson Eva K. Unterman Brian A. Urich William H. Vogle Mary Ann and Les Walls Walter & Associates, Inc. Elizabeth and Tom Weatherholt Kay E. Webb Richard Webb Elizabeth Weeks Janet and David Wehrenberg Jessica Welch Tiffany Welch Suzanne and Dr. Bruce Wenger, MD Patricia and Scott Wernhardt JoAnn and David White Ruth Ann and Allen White Frances and Bryan Whitehurst Sondra and Jim Whitt Ann and Mickey Wilson
Jane P. Wiseman Jennie and Christopher Wolek Phyllis and Larry Wolverton Paul Woodall Rita J. and Steven R. Woodall Andrew Yearwood Sue and Larry Young Toni and David Zucconi Donalyn and Dennis Zvacek
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$500 - 2,499 $500-999 AEP/Public Service Co. of Oklahoma A-Max Sign Co. American Fidelity Foundation American Waste Control, Inc. Ameristar Charles Michael Barkley Howard G. Barnett Marilyn and Royce Bentley Briley Construction Kenneth L. Brune Dorothy W. and John H. Bryce Budco, Inc. Jill Krumme and Phil Burns Carpentree, Inc. Roberta J. Carr Celebration Station Properties, Inc. Covanta Tulsa Renewable Energy LLC Hanley Cox Dr. Mark Davis Marilyn Inhofe Davis Patricia and Malcolm Jr. Deisenroth G. Pete Dosser, M.D. Patricia and Len Eaton M. Gail Ederer Leslie C. Elliott Enovation Controls Fine Airport Parking, Inc. First National Bank of Broken Arrow Floral Haven Funeral Home Forbes Foundation
Gerdau Virginia Gibson Harvard Terrace LLC John F. Hausam Kathleen Wallace Helm Leanne Helmerich Joan and Bob Hunt Interstate Steel & Metals, Inc. Jones, Gotcher and Bogan, P.C. Joseph & Virginia Dibert Foundation Susan Scott and Dan Katz Kinslow, Keith and Todd, Inc. Ronald S. Labutti Robert J. LaFortune Joan and Richard B. Link Lance and Maren Lively William D. Lohrey Joann Lukken Patricia and Jack Mandeville Thomas E. Matson, Jr. Martin Elias Marvin and Kristen Branham, Matrix Metropolitan Environmental Trust Marilyn Murphy Nelson Service Experts David D. Nonweiler Robert and Sandra Norman ONB Bank Paragon Films, Inc. Melinda Parish Jerry Parker
Jeanne and Paul R. Parrott Laura Parrott Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity Ann and Leslie Pierce William and Lisa Pierce Elizabeth Pirnat Mary and Gregory Pittman Bobby Ruth Potter PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Diane and John Randolph, Jr. Harold W. Reynolds Rich & Cartmill, Inc. Charlotte and Thomas Rinehart Riverfield Country Day School R. L. Hudson & Company Marcialyn and Bernard Robinowitz Ruthanne B. Snow Charitable Foundation Sertco Industries, Inc. Kay and Ed Schermerhorn Kurt Schneider Susan Flint Seay Michael H. Smith Jane Sneed Sol Robinowitz Foundation Southwood Landscape & Nursery James Stanton St. John Insurance & Financial Services Jayson Stroud April and Zach Stuart Yvette and Eric Tabor TESCORP
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Richard Teubner Delise Tomlinson Trust Company of Oklahoma Tulsa County Deputy Sheriff FOP 188 Tulsa Garden Club Tulsa Regional Chamber Tulsa Young Professionals Barbara and John Turner Barbara and Preston VanHanken Ron J. Walker Nita Watson Nancy and Bill Wienker Joanne S. Williams Monica Williford and Steve Bayles Donna and Noid Wilson Hooby and Jessica Yoon $1,000-2,499 ACT - Alliance For Community Trees Adelson Family Foundation Fund American Heritage Bank Janice and D. C. Anderson Cheryl and Nick Barlow Linda Berger Carolyn and Robert Bishop G. C. Broach Co. Anne and Robert Burlingame Jane BunttHobson Cancer Treatment Centers of America Sanford Cardin CB Richard Ellis Property Management
Central States Orthopedic Specialists Patricia G. Chernicky Jeff Cope Alice and James Costas Art Couch Kasey Davis Gordona Duca Ellen and Otto Duecker Explorer Pipeline Flint Family Foundation Anna and J. Thompson Freeman Harriet and Mitchell Greenspan Linda and Gordon Helm Jean Holliman Joe Howell Alexis and Robert Jack Glaudia and Ted Jacobson Valerie N. Jolly Miranda and Philip Kaiser Robert Knight Jackie Kouri Gary Kuck KWB Oil Property Management Carie Addis and Justin Lee Manhattan Construction Company Sue and John H. Maxwell Jr. Miles Associates Candace and George Miller Miratech Corporation Modern Woodmen of America Mary and Jack Nelson
Frances Patterson Lindsay Patterson, PhD Judith A. Pollard Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Hannah Davis and Joe Robson Susan S. and Robert L. Rorschach Rotary Club of Tulsa James Robert Saied Samson Energy Company LLC Savage, O’Donnell, Affeldt, Weintraub & Johnson Dianne and Edward Schroedter Sisk Charitable Trust Southern Millwork, Inc. Peggy and Charles Stephenson Tia and Ross Swearingen Ronnie K. Tabor T. D. Williamson, Inc. Transport Workers Union AFL-CIO #514 University of Tulsa Williams Foundation Leslie and Tim Yardy
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$2,500 - 4,999 American Residential GroupRenaissance Uptown Arvest Bank Etta May Avery Rebecca and Dr. Anthony Bascone Breeze Investments LLC Bryan Close Crafton Tull Alice and Robert Glenn Dangott Raymond DeCoursey Direct Energy Frontier International Trucks, Inc. Global Health, Inc. Erica Greenfield Sonya Hodges Betsy and Gerald Jackson Kate and Seth Jennemann John Deere Landscapes Tara and Shawn Karnes Barbara and Tim Nall Ruth Kaiser Nelson NORDAM ONEOK Foundation, Inc. Robert L. Parker Sr. Beverly Patterson Response Solutions William S. Smith Whitney McKellar and Sean Stevens Kayla and Scott Vaughn Williams Companies, Inc. Nicole and John Young
$5,000 - 10,000 Amber and Jason Benson Brannin Family Foundation Brad Coston Rusty Gaddy Half-of-Half Name Brands, Inc. Donald and Patricia Hardin The Helmerich Trust John B. Johnson Frances and Joseph Klein Jr. Jerry E. Marshall McElroy Manufacturing Inc. Carol and Phillip Morgan Richard Nichols Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits Gabi and Reed Oppenheimer Barbara and Lynn Owens Uruj Perwaiz Saint Francis Hospital SGA Design Group PC Ann Shade Sherman Smith Family Charitable Foundation Susan and William Thomas David Thompson Tulsa Beautification Foundation Mollie B. Williford Jon Yarbrough Zarrow Family Foundation
10,000+ Diane G. Byer Bonnie Klein Paul J. Klein Scott Malone Margery Mayo Bird Foundation Susan Parrott Pelco Structural, LLC Anthony J. Solow Tulsa Community Foundation Susie and Tom Wallace William K. Warren Foundation Debra R. Zinke
1102 S Boston Ave., Tulsa, OK 74119 UPWITHTREES.org :: 918.610.TREE