Milford Trees, Inc.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Cooperative Effort Replaces Trees On Intervale Green
















by Mary Ludwig

Neighborhoods in Milford are showing a sense of pride and interest in the natural resources that make up their environmental surroundings. On Saturday, July 8th, nonprofit Milford Trees, Inc.’s volunteers along with members of the Tree Commission and the City’s Public Works Department planted four Sycamore and two Sweetgum trees in the center green on Intervale Parkway in Devon.

Having grown up with the beauty and shade of mature trees in the center green, Rob Masud, Intervale resident, came to the Tree Commission meeting earlier in March to find out if the trees that Public Works had to cut down would be replaced. He said that the neighborhood looked terrible without the trees there. Irwin Langewisch, Tree Warden, explained to Mr. Masud that the trees that came down were diseased and had safety issues.

Although Public Works does not have a tree replacement program, Irwin knew that if he could purchase the trees, volunteers from Milford Trees, Inc. and the Tree Commission would help plant the trees and save time and expense for the City. He contacted Mary Ludwig, President of Milford Trees, Inc. and Steve Wing, Tree Commission Chair and they lined up the volunteers for the designated Saturday morning. The helpful volunteers were Tammy and Paul Jorgensen with their 2 young sons, Noah and Ethan, Paul’s brother David Jorgensen visiting from Taiwan, and nephew, Michael Jorgensen from New Hampshire, Marj Winkleman, Steve Wing and Mary Ludwig. Public Works partners were Irwin Langewisch, Ray Leeman and Mike Gresko. Great job done by all on a hot summer’s day!

Public Works dug the holes and backfilled them for safety reasons prior to the planted date. At 9 A.M. when the volunteers arrived, they went to work preparing the holes until the six trees arrived from Shadyside Nursery on Gulf Pond where they were being stored. (The nursery is a cooperative operation run by volunteers from Milford Trees, Inc., the Tree Commission and Public Works and grows 800 trees.) The large trees that Public Works delivered to Intervale were 2-3 inch caliper and stood 12 -15 feet tall.

Rob Masud and his parents, Charles and Doris greeted the volunteers with enthusiasm and warmth. Rob chipped in and helped plant the trees while his father and mother cheered on and donated scissors to help cut the landscaping fabric that was placed on top of the soil surrounding the newly planted trees. The fabric deters weeds from growing. Public Works trucked in mulch to place over the fabric and the volunteers knew not to touch the trunk of the tree with the mulch because it encourages rot and insect attacks and kept it only 3-4 inches deep. No volcano mulching!

Langewisch finished off the project by bringing in the watering truck and giving the trees a good drink to ward off planting and heat stress. Gator bags which were filled with water and placed around the trees help ease the stressed trees in the summer heat.

In order to keep the newly planted trees surviving especially during the first year or two and during times of drought, a weekly watering system needs to be set up. Milford Trees, Inc. is purchasing a watering tank designed by John Westermann. Once in place, the watering tank will be driven by volunteers to help water trees around the City so they can better survive their first summer.

Along with that prospect, residents living near the newly planted area are asked to set up a watering schedule to help the trees survive. Maintenance of young trees is a cooperative effort and as you see the trees grow and reach maturity, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment, a sense of ownership and place that comes to each individual involved and in turn, to the neighborhood and the community. Milford’s natural resources deserve the very best care as do its residents.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Arbor Day and Neighborhood Tree Plantings 2006

By Mary Ludwig

April and May are excellent tree planting months and several groups of Milford residents jumped at the opportunity to enhance several areas of the city with trees. On Arbor Day, the last Friday in April, Milford Trees, Inc.’s (MTI) President, Mary Ludwig coordinated a tree planting event with Tree Warden, Irwin Langewisch and Alternative Education School teacher, Kelly Graham. Ms. Graham’s twelve students planted eight arborvitae (Eastern white cedars) around the flagpole on The Green downtown and planted two arborvitae by the gazebo. The trees were raised as seedlings in Shadyside Nursery on Gulf Pond and were acquired through MTI’s National Tree Trust grant. Regine Vitale, MTI member, manages the extensive job of running the nursery with help from volunteers.

Later that same day, a Redbud tree was planted in memory of Michael Wilcock’s beloved mother, Peggy Wilcock, who passed away last year. Mike’s fellow workers and friends from Sikorsky raised the money to purchase the flowering tree that is planted at the eastern end of the downtown Green. After the ceremony with friends gathered around the tree, Mike expressed his thanks to all involved for their help in planting such a beautiful specimen. Peggy’s special tree is the first planned planting in the Legacy Arboretum, a municipal arboretum being developed by the Tree Commission, Milford Trees, Inc., Public Works and Landscape Architect, Ed Vaughn, who was hired through an America the Beautiful grant from Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.

One week later on Shelter Cove off Gulf Street, another tree planting event took place because of one man’s remarkable effort to keep trees in his neighborhood. Public Works had pruned and removed a number of unsafe trees along the median and when the Tree Warden said there was not enough money in the City’s budget to replace the trees, he challenged the interested Shelter Cove resident, Victor Lamberti, to raise money in the neighborhood to purchase replacement trees with a promise that Public Works would help plant them. Tree Commissioner, Steve Wing, received a phone call from Mr. Lamberti to see what he could do and the wheels began to turn.

Mr. Lamberti immediately sent out a flyer to his neighbors asking for donations to replace the trees and before the end of the week, he raised $850 dollars. After phoning Mary Ludwig and discussing the next steps, Victor donated the check to nonprofit Milford Trees, Inc. for the purchase of 10 Kousa dogwoods from Millanes Nursery. Once the trees were brought to Shadyside Nursery to wait for a planting date, Langewisch scheduled Public Works equipment and manpower time while Ludwig coordinated planting time with Ms. Graham’s Alternative Education School students and Milford Trees, Inc. volunteers.

Prior to the planting dates, Public Works dug the holes to loosen the soil and backfilled for safety reasons. On Friday, May 5th, a bright sunny day, the tree planting project began when the bus arrived with the students at 9:30 A.M. The hard working young teens put some real muscle into digging and planting the dogwoods and within two hours planted five of the dogwoods before returning to school. Milford Trees, Inc. provided the juice and cookies to thank the energetic students for being such a helpful and positive working group. Mary Ludwig, who photographed the students working, is providing each with a CD of the project for a keepsake of their involvement and good work.

Many thanks go to the following students involved in the tree plantings: Christina Frey, Justin Frey, Chris Glover, Derek Hill, Jason Jacobs, Jeanne Keller, Mike Mangan, Kat McFadden, Katie O’Brien, Hector Ortiz, Tori Palinkas, Sara Pimenta, Scott Quirion, Delphine Raseman, Jon Velazquez and Kyle Wheeler.

The following day, Saturday, May 6th, Milford Trees volunteers along with a couple of Tree Commissioners and Mike Moura from Public Works planted the rest of the dogwoods and mulched them in to retain moisture for the feeder roots. Watering will be an important part of the trees’ first year and Victor Lamberti volunteered to accept that responsibility. Victor and his wife, Judy, have planted many other trees including one weeping Cherry tree in memory of their daughter, Anna. Their neighbors purchased that memorial tree, also.

Successful tree planting events, such as these, involve people who care about their community and people who bring their community to life by being positively and actively involved. Mr. Lamberti showed how one person can make a difference in his own neighborhood and by doing so, he created a model for other neighborhoods in Milford. Most neighborhoods do not have a center island but by working with Milford Trees, Inc., Milford Tree Commission and Public Works, we can find ways to plant more trees in the City. Good communication and commitment are key to the success of any tree planting program and Victor Lamberti set a high standard for other neighborhoods to follow. It can be done! For further information about planting trees in your neighborhood, please call 874-8665.