On Sunday April 25th at noon, BoSTEM will host their monthly Movie, Make + Meet event. They're screening Intelligent Trees with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Speak for the Trees. This is a free 45 minute film about how trees talk to each other, intended towards students 4-12th to enjoy. There will be an activity where students can make their own leaf rubbings with leaves from around their neighborhood to learn about the importance of leaves! Natalie from Speak for the Trees will be joining and answering your questions. 

Sure, books are made of trees, but trees have a powerful role in literature too. Join Boston Public Library for a presentation of resources available to help you learn about tree and nature equity, environmental justice, and the natural world in Boston. Librarians will be highlighting literary, scientific, and art collections and other resources available at the Boston Public Library that are of interest to adults, teens, and children.

We are finishing off the week of TREEmendous fun on May 1 from 10am - 2pm with a tree giveaway at Nubian Square as a part of Savor The Square. There will be six different species of saplings available for residents of Boston: Balsam Fir, Redbud, Nutall Oak, Kousa Dogwood, Norway Spruce, and Black Tupelo. Register for a free sapling here.

Can't make it on May 1? Don't worry! We have partners all over the city distributing seedlings for free. You can peruse our events page to find the nearest site to you.

You may have noticed a staff change. A few weeks ago Olivia Gomez departed her position as Program Associate and took a teaching job at Milton Academy. We are so appreciative of all her hard work for the past year and wish her much luck in her new job!

We're pleased to welcome Ashley Pedersen to our team. Ashley will be with us for the next couple of months organizing events and our Teen Urban Tree Corps program. You may remember Ashley from her amazing volunteer work last year in Hyde Park coordinating our tree delivery program. Please take a moment to meet Ashley with her brief bio below.

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While Ashley’s fondness of trees began in childhood while playing “house” under the blue spruce in her backyard, she developed a passion for urban forestry as Director of Education at Tucson Botanical Gardens where she developed educational programming to facilitate an appreciation of plants and nature, to help residents design appropriate desert landscapes, and to foster stewardship of Tucson’s urban forest. Dedicating her career to the design of healthier and more equitable urban green spaces, Ashley is pursing a Master’s of Landscape Architecture degree at the Rhode Island School of Design. She is delighted to support Speak for the Trees’ inspiring work by helping to coordinate events, volunteers, and youth programs. On weekends, Ashley enjoys hiking in the many forests near her home in Arlington, MA with her husband and 4-year-old son.