Thank you for your interest and support for the Highway 28 tree planting project. Public response to last year�s trees has been GREAT!
We have some ~big~ improvements planned for this year including:
*** PRE-DUG HOLES !! AND NO RAIN !! ***
We would like to ask for your help this year on September 20 as we plant trees on Highway 28 from Iowa Avenue (by the Armory) eastward.
Saturday, September 20 9:00 AM Morris National Guard Armory
Our headquarters will be at the armory where we�ll have a very short training session at 9:00 am, plus lunch and indoor bathrooms. Planting crews will drive (or be shuttled) to planting sites along the highway. The trees will be in pots instead of bare-root. Everything should be a lot easier and a lot more fun!
In case of rain, we�ll move the planting day to Saturday,
Sept. 27, same time, same place.
We need volunteers to plant trees, as well as to help direct traffic, work at the check-in table, etc., etc. Most volunteers will be done around noon, you we�ll feed you a free lunch!
Please sign up in advance to help us plan: Call the Morris Area Chamber of Commerce at 589-1242, or sign up at the Morris Public Library, or email [email protected]. Groups from businesses, clubs, churches, and families are encouraged!
"
Design Morris Tree Planting Project: Sue Granger, a member of the Design Morris Commercial Corridors Action Team, was present at the meeting to discuss a grant available through MN DOT. Granger indicated one of the items that came out of the Design Morris meetings was to enhance the entrances to the city with trees. Granger noted they have received a grant from MN DOT to plant trees from Highway 28 (starting at Coborn�s) to Iowa Avenue. Granger stated MN DOT has designed the planting for a total of 300 trees over two years. Granger indicated what is needed from the city is a guarantee to do the planting, watering and maintenance for three years. Granger pointed out they have 160 volunteers signed up and 14 people on the steering committee. Granger indicated they hope to have a planting day of May 5th.
Granger asked that the council approve this application to enter into an agreement with MNDOT. Granger stated the committee has a goal to raise $3,000 to help with the watering and maintenance and they have currently raised $2,600. Granger noted Dave Poppe will donate his time and watering truck and asked that the city donate the water.
Granger indicated the trees are 5 feet tall and 1 � inch caliber so they should make a nice impact right away. Granger indicated MN DOT is talking about redoing the Hwy 28 intersection and Hwy 9 from Dairy Queen to Hancock. If that happens there may be a possibility to enhance those corridors at that time. "
It's 4pm (Saturday, May 5th of 2007) and I just came home after participating in this monthly event today after the Tree Planting. I decided to drive through Highway 28 going west to Hwy 9/Atlantic Avenue to see the trees-wow! They look very nice! I ended up seeing a couple (Margaret K. and Josh K.) of volunteers still working on a tree-very dedicated! Below are some pictures from the first tree I helped out with. I wasn't able to take more pictures because of the conditions that wasn't good for my cell phone camera....
We started at 9am, but I didn't get there till after because I was at home uncertain whether this was still going to happen today. I heard thunder this morning before 9am and decided to listen to the radio to see if there would be any news about any cancellations/postponing. There was an e-mail earlier this week and they mentioned that we were going to make-up this day (Saturday, May 19th) if there were any severe weather. I called my pastor (Pat F.) and he told me there are groves of volunteers already at the Jehovah Witness Center parking lot. I got there past 9am and was suprised to see so many people in the rain during this cloudy dark early Saturday morning.
I joined group #14 led by Josh K. (a fellow UMM Alumn). Unfortunately, I came unprepared, so I drove back to my house to get more shovels. Our group consisted of a family of three (mom, dad, and their kid).
We dugged a marked circle on the grass (across Fastenal bldg close to the corner of Iowa Ave. & Hwy 28 by Heartland) that was almost 6 feet in diameter. As a group, we worked on digging as close to 15" deep (realize later on that we would probably had to just keep it in 3 feet in diameter instead of the whole 6ft). We then measured the 5+ feet tall tree into the hole and threw the compost dirt in mixed with the white light sandy bottom soil. Then we would dump the tar mats filled with left over dirt around the tree. Lastly, we wrapped the bottom of these trees with green special plastic wrap that helps water go into the roots of the tree.
This weather wasn't friendly to this kid and many others. They helped with the first of three trees and then they all had to escape this weather. Josh and I joined another group (Ben W., Bryan, F., and ?) to help with their third three! Throughout the tree planting, volunteers in vehicles took shifts driving along the highway to check on all the volunteers. After this 2nd tree of Josh and I , we went across the highway to finish some trees by Northland (a.k.a. Best Western) Inn. There was soo.. much water in the ditches, so I went the long way around. I ended up joining a couple of guys (Jay, UMM 76' and Kevin, UMM 80'-currently finishing-both City of Morris workers) on 2 trees.
It would be close to 1pm when I called it quits (there were others still going at it while I was cleaning up). They were serving some free lunch (BBQ sandwhiches) at East Side Park shelter, where I joined other volunteers. It was a sloppy project, but a memorable rewarding time as the community came together!
"
When the Minnesota Design Team visited Morris in October 2005, the architects and planners suggested landscaping along the highways leading into the community. So, despite rain and thunderstorms, local volunteers spent Saturday morning planting nearly 100 trees along Highway 28 between Iowa Avenue and Atlantic Avenue.
Most of the trees were planted on MnDOT right-of-way. MnDOT is paying for the trees, mulch, compost and rabbit guards and provided technical assistance for the design of the plantings.
Local volunteers ignored the wet weather and planted trees along Highway 28 in Morris on Saturday. The tree planting project is part of Design Morris.
Local volunteers ignored the wet weather and planted trees along Highway 28 in Morris on Saturday. The tree planting project is part of Design Morris.
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Once the trees are planted, volunteers have pledged to care for them for the first three years. Local donations have provided for 'Gator' bags and summer watering.
Several different types of trees were planted, including bur oak, 'Triumph' elm (a new disease resistant variety), 'Souixland' popular, 'Imperial' seedless honeylocust, silver maple, hackberry, Japenese tree lilac and Austrian pine.
In addition to the plantings in the highway right-of-ways, trees were also planted on public and private land south of the frontage road, at the public library and at Stevens-Traverse-Grant Public
"Friends of the Urban Forest in San Francisco. Community Tree Planting Day, May 17, 2008 -- city slickers get a lesson in how to plant the 46 trees that day. From GreenSunset.org "
Tree Planting On Earth Day To Help Save The Mother Earth
"..How Trees Fight/save Global Warming?
Whether you plant trees around your home and property, in your community, or in our national forests, they help fight global warming. Through the natural process of photosynthesis, trees absorb CO2 and other pollutant particulates, then store the carbon and emit pure oxygen..."
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