Today we planted trees

Today I joined a group of parents at my daughters school (The Ivy Montessori Charter in NE Portland OR) for some volunteer work planting fruit trees.

It was the first time I’ve gotten out a shovel and planted a tree in many years.
In fact, as I was realizing just how very long it has been since I planted a tree with my own hands I started searching around on the web for a program my dad and I took part in when I was a “Beaver Scout“.
The program was called “Trees for Canada” and it was foundational in the sense that as I grew older I realized that I had taken part in planting something that would be there long after me – something permanent.

While searching on google I was thrilled to find this blog post by “Muddy Mark”, that mentions Trees for Canada and includes statistics about the tree species planted and where.

The fruit trees we planted today were a generous grant from The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation.

Here’s a video from the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. Rico Montenegro (in the video), an Arborist, was the same gentleman who traveled to Oregon to help us plant and teach us a little about the trees in the process.

Here’s the video link if you don’t see the embedded video.

For some reason planting trees has a deep affect on people – it certainly has had on me. I’m talking about the magnificence of the trees. The sense of community gained by actually DOING something with your fellow community members. The feeling in your hands and bones as you handle the tree, work the earth and leave something permanent.
Even through these are just small fruit trees, Rico reminded me that they can live a very long time if taken care of. That, in turn, reminded me of a time when my buddy Mike and I visited the Giant Sequoias in California. Some of the oldest and most magnificent things on this earth for sure!

Here are a few photos of our work today. You’ll notice kids in some of the photos. They didn’t thinking anything of it today, but 25 years from now they will. I hope they’ll be able to come back, see the trees and eat some of the fruits of their labors :)

Poster of the foundation and their sponsors

Rico Montenegro talking about the trees and the foundation

Rico Montenegro demonstrating the basics

A dad and daughter planting

That hole that tree

Tree tag

Placing the trees before planting

School yard with new fruit trees

Blueberries going in on the school wall

Tools etc

Feel free to share your experiences working with trees and plants, recent and long past.