Congratulations to all of the recent graduates of Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Tree Tenders program, including TTF’s Executive Director, Community Liaison, and Earth Force colleague! After nine hours of hands-on tree care training, these graduates are now ready to put their knowledge to use. The class covers tree biology, identification, proper tree planting and care. The program also points out the critical role of trees in impacting the health of our watershed.
Tree Tenders are volunteers in the five-county Philadelphia region providing support to the Plant One Million campaign by planting and tending to street trees. The goal of Plant One Million is to increase the tree canopy of the Philadelphia region by planting one million trees. However, newly planted trees will die unless properly cared for, especially during the first few years. This is when Tree Tenders step in to make sure the young trees are given a good start to their long, leafy life.
These additional certified Tree Tenders will enable TTF to continue tree planting and maintainance across our watershed. Tree planting projects are just one of the many tools that TTF uses to improve water quality and reduce runoff. TTF started the Wingohocking Tree Tenders, a street tree planting group in Germantown/East Mt. Airy. We’re committed to initiating and working with Tree Tenders groups across our watershed, both in the City and in Montgomery County!
Right to left: Julie Slavet, TTF’s Executive Director; Stephanie Clymer, TTF’s Community Liaison; and Dan Brown of Earth Force were among those completing training last week.
