It started with a bothersome plant – the kind that won’t take no for an answer. When invasive buckthorn laid its claim to Bailey School Forest in Newport, Minnesota, Susan Lindoo and her neighbors said, “No way!”
Lindoo, a longtime member of the Newport Parks Board, organized a buckthorn pull event with help from neighbors Mary Ann Newman, Anita Perkins, Dale Hamlin, and John Neska. The 2008 event was so successful that the neighbors decided to do it again the next year. Today, Newport’s annual buckthorn event is still going strong and has grown to include dozens of neighborhood residents, youth groups, and volunteers.
Later, in 2016, Lindoo began recruiting volunteers to help with a new challenge – planting, pruning and protecting urban trees at city parks and along Hwy 61. The group participated in a training program offered by University of Minnesota (then called Citizen Pruners, now called Tree Stewards) and learned how to properly prune young trees to keep them healthy and how to identify common tree diseases and pests. Newport volunteers now care for small trees throughout the city and at two Washington County Parks.
Minnesota’s Tree Steward program is designed for people who love trees, enjoy being outdoors, and want to volunteer in their community. In addition to caring for community trees, volunteers also help to lead reforestation efforts.
One big challenge facing many communities comes from emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that first arrived in Minnesota in 2009 and has since killed millions of ash trees across the state. Last year, cities in Washington County removed hundreds of dead and dying ash trees, and the problem is expected to get worse in the coming years. Since ash trees comprise half of the urban canopy in many local cities, the impact will be striking. Tree Stewards can help by planting new trees to replace the ones that will be lost.
“Twenty twenty-four was our first year implementing the Tree Steward program,” says Tessa Saloka, a Forestry Technician with the City of Minnetonka. “Volunteers worked with city staff and other organizations in Hennepin County to plant 10,000 seedlings, consisting of 52 different species of trees and shrubs.” Planting a variety of species helps to build ecological resilience and minimize the impact caused by future diseases and pests.
This spring, Washington Conservation District hopes to recruit and train 30-40 Tree Steward volunteers to work in communities across Washington County. There will be volunteer trainings on Saturday, April 5, 9am-2pm at Scandia Community Center and Saturday, April 12, 9am-2pm at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. The events are free and include lunch.
To learn more and sign-up, visit www.mnwcd.org/events.
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