We had a wonderful Arbor Week out in the community last week. Thank you to all who joined us at our various events, including walks, talks, art, and, of course, trees! We couldn't have done it without the incredible support of our dedicated volunteers and generous sponsors (Delta, WS Development, TLee Development, and Eversource). Missed the week? Read more below about what our Arbor Week looked like!

Dr. Christine Carmichael, author of “Racist Roots: How Racism Has Affected Trees and People in Our Cities - and What We Can Do About It,” gave three engaging book talks during Arbor Week. She spoke at More Than Words, Urban Farming Institute, and Frugal Bookstore to discuss racism and how it has affected our cities’ urban trees and green spaces. You can purchase this book at your favorite local bookstore: More Than Words, Frugal Bookstore, Brookline Booksmith, or Newtonville Books. Or, you can order it directly from Amazon.

In addition to the book talks, Dr. Christine Carmichael led a comprehensive and inspiring staff training on topics of environmental justice, equity, and community engagement. 

We extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Carmichael for her generosity and passion. Her visit was an enriching experience that will have a lasting impact on our team and community. We look forward to working with her in future projects.

Seedling Bagging: Volunteers and staff bagged 600 seedlings to distribute to other organizations. The variety of tree species included Concolor Fir, White Oak, Shagbark Hickory, and Washington Hawthorn.

Creating Oracle Cards with Black Cherry: Artist Jane D. Marsching led a workshop where participants engaged in sensory movement prompts. Participants reflected through drawing and writing with ink made from Black Cherry. By the end, participants generated their own oracle card (an image and text-based tool for intuition and divination), guided by the ecology and life of Black Cherry tree.

Tree Care Events: Volunteers and staff got together and cleaned the park and mulched and checked the stakes for the 50+ young trees that we have planted over the past 2 years in Harambee Park. And, in East Boston, we collaborated with Temple Ohabei Shalom, to mulch and care for the 18 trees that we had planted together two years ago in East Boston. 

Tree Identification Walk: Community members joined us at the East Boston Public Library for a Tree ID walk where we highlighted the importance of trees in urban spaces and how to identify trees. 

Tree Giveaway: We gave away 50 free trees at the Edgewater Food Forest. The variety of tree species included Kousa Dogwood,  Sourwood, Southern Magnolia, Carolina Silverbell, and Japanese Stewartia. 

Community Celebration: While we gave away trees, we also held a community celebration took place at the Edgewater Food Forest in honor of the completion of our EPA-funded Community Tree Walk project. These tree walks aimed to raise awareness for the importance of trees in our urban environment and the vital role they play in improving the community. We were supported by an Environmental Justice grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. 

How to Say Hello to a Worm Story Time: Local author and illustrator Kari Percival read her book How to Say Hello to a Worm at Martin's Park. There was a story hour followed by a hands-on activity for kids and adults!

Forest Bathing: Certified forest therapy guide Tam Wiley, led two forest bathing sessions, one at Franklin Park and the other at the Arnold Arboretum. These events always book up quickly - so thank you Tam for doing 2 this year!

During Arbor Week, Speak for the Trees had the distinct pleasure of hosting artist-in-residence Dr. Xalli Zuniga for a week-long collaboration. Xalli, a captivating artist known for their work in drawing, brought their unique vision to our space and left a lasting impression on our team. Xalli's residency was a sparked creativity and ignited conversations about art, equity, and connection within our community.

While Xalli's residency may have concluded, the impact remains. The new artwork and workshops serve as a constant reminder of Xalli's visit, and the skills learned in the workshops will continue to inspire artistic exploration.