A nationally competition has recently resulted in a TD Green Streets grant being awarded to the City of Springfield and Regreen Springfield. The award of the grant is a great honor, since it was a national, highly selective competition. The grant funds will enable the creation of two urban orchards in Springfield, as well as help support Regreen’s outreach and education activities, and help engage youth, neighborhood residents and community groups in the work of establishing the two orchards, which will produce fruit, as well as more engaged residents of the city.

Springfield joins Burlington, Vt.; Cheltenham Township, Pa.; Greenville, SC; Casselberry, Fla.; Myrtle Beach, SC; Salem, Mass.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Wilmington, Del. in receiving an inaugural TD Green Streets grant. Launched in 2013 by TD Bank and the National Arbor Day Foundation, TD Green Streets supports innovation in urban forestry.

The official announcement was made on April 26th at the City’s Arbor Day Ceremony, held at Kennedy Middle School, in the Indian Orchard neighborhood.

Take a look at the video segment that aired on WGGB.  Visit http://www.wggb.com/2013/03/29/springfield-tornado-zone-micro-climate-change/

Last summer, we were able to plant 1,040 new trees across the tornado zone of Springfield in an effort to regreen the city and to help reduce energy use by individual homeowners.  We have now been able to plant trees at all of the homes that have requested trees over the past year, and hope that we will be able to continue this planting effort during this fall’s planting season. Thank you to everyone who has participated in this effort.

The lawmowing study is part of the Sustainability Begins at Home project, which aims to identify ways to improve the sustainability of yards for people and wildlife. This project is being supported by partners that include the USDA Forest Service, the National Science Foundation, UMass Amherst and the City of Springfield.

Here’s what we will do with your yard:

• Mow your lawn for most of May through September
• Document which pollinators are in your yard
• Keep track of soil conditions and identify all the plants growing in your yard

To participate or for more information, please contact:
Susannah Lerman
USDA Forest Service
email: slerman@cns.umass.edu
phone: 413/545-5447

Regreen Springfield and Arbor Allies volunteers plant trees on S. Branch Parkway in East Forest Park

The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, through their Tornado Relief Fund, donated funds to plant large trees in Springfield’s East Forest Park Neighborhood, which was had hit during the June 2011 storm.  Over 2o volunteers from the Springfield Arbor Allies and Regreen Springfield worked to plant 12 Crabapple trees on South Branch Parkway.  Additionally, White Pine seedlings were planted along sloping parkland that borders the roadway and Lake Massasoit.

A brief ceremony, commemorating the donation was held prior to the event, and included remarks by Suzanne Reed, Springfield Garden Club, who coordinated the Federation’s Tornado Relief fundraising effort.  Additionally, State Senator Gail Canderas and State Representative Angelo Puppolo delivered best wished to those in attendance.

To view pictures of the tree planting event, please Click Here.

The following article, highlighting the recent tree planting in Springfield, was just published on the MA Department of Energy Resources blog page - http://energy.blog.state.ma.us/

Following the devastation of last year’s tornadoes, which destroyed an estimated 4,000 trees, Springfield residents decided to step up to the plate and rebuild their neighborhoods. ReGreen Springfield created the Tree Planting Initiative, which has made tremendous progress in its efforts to restore vibrancy to Springfield, Massachusetts. During the project’s initial phase, there were over 800 trees planted in tornado affected neighborhoods using $385,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds directed by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). Due to the initiative’s incredible success, DOER allocated an additional $125,000 of ARRA funding to expand efforts as part of its ReBuild Western Massachusetts program. This allowed for a total of 300 more plantings, bumping up the total to 1,140 trees.

Trees provide far more than a respite from the mid-afternoon sun. From off-setting carbon emissions, to reducing the Heat Island Effect (a build-up of thermal energy in urban spaces), trees are a multi-faceted tool for remedying environmental problems. Trees trap carbon dioxide, one of the major contributing greenhouse gases, and release oxygen into the environment. They can help to reduce urban runoff and erosion, absorb sound and noise pollution, and reduce airborne dust levels. During the summer months, the shade created by healthy trees can help to decrease cooling demands in nearby households and reduce ambient air temperature across neighborhoods. Alternatively, trees can serve as windbreaks for buildings during the winter months and help cut home heating costs for affected homeowners.

These inherent traits are all well and good, but dare I say it, the personal significance of trees should not be overlooked. Whether it’s the maple tree in the front yard whose branches you swung through as a child or the giant oak that you carved your initials in, a tree is more than a carbon dioxide sponge. For many of us, they represent the idea of “home,” or a time in one’s life. A time when everything was simpler, and it felt safe to catch fireflies in the backyard beneath that old apple tree on a balmy summer evening.

Springfield’s Tree Planting Initiative has helped replace some of these anchors of time and memory lost in the storms of last summer. Excuse the sappiness (and this pun), but I hope these newly planted trees will provide the families of Springfield with a lifetime of new memories.

ReGreen Springfield’s efforts are profiled on its Facebook page.

We don’t need a lot of your time, but if you are interested in helping to work toward growing a sustainable tree canopy in Springfield, simply click  ”How to Help” in the menubar at the top of the page, and let us know if you can help… even if its only to check the regreenspringfield.org website for news and updates, or to tell your friends to follow us on Facebook or the web.

You can also contact us via email at info@regreenspringfield.org or call 413/285-3056 to see how you might be able to help make a difference in regreening Springfield.

Your help is appreciated and will go a long way in making our neighborhoods healthier and more livable.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read the instructions provided on the backside of the tag that is found at the top of the treegator bag.  It is important that you lift the tag up in order read the instructions, and to access the opening in the bag which is used to add the water.

If you have had a tree planted on your property by ReGreen Springfield and the City of Springfield, you should expect a TreeGator at your door by August 31st.