The lessons shared below come to us thanks to an informative Main Street RI Roundtable:
Street Trees, the Super Heroes of Main Street – PART 2
About the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program (PPNP)
The Providence Neighborhood Planting Program (PNPP) engages residents and community partners in planting and stewarding trees in Providence. They work to grow our urban forest and its city-wide network of stewards and advocates — so that all residents of Providence can enjoy the benefits of a healthy, resilient, and equitable urban forest regardless of where in the city they live.
The Giving Tree(s) . . .
When we take care of the trees around us, they take care of us, providing benefits such as:
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Cool our city and reduce heat islands
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Lower our energy bills
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Capture and filter polluted stormwater runoff to clean our water and help prevent urban flooding
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Filter asthma-causing air pollution and produce oxygen
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Capture and store carbon from the atmosphere
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Relieve stress and increase mental health
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Provide food and habitat for people and wildlife
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Build community connections and resilience
CONSIDER THIS! Trees might just be the only city infrastructure whose value actually increases over time!
The Urban Forest
When it comes to tree planting, our inclination is to think on the personal, or micro level of how nice it would be to have a tree in front of our home or business. But we need to also think BIGGER! Just like we thrive when connected to others in community, so do trees. Trees are able to provide more benefits for us, our climate and our earth when they are able to grow and connect as a networked system, or an Urban Forest.
With this in mind, PPNP always plants several trees at a time.
How to Get a Tree on Your Main Street!
Ready to be a Tree Leader?! Here’s what’s Involved:
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Find a minimum of four other properties nearby who want a tree and are ready to commit to the stewardship of that tree.
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PPNP will come to prepare the location to receive trees. They’ll de-pave if a new pit is necessary, they’ll replace old compacted soil with fresh new soil, and manage all of the other technical details of the site.
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Gathers neighbors to come out on a community planting day in the spring or fall (usually on a Saturday in October or April) to plant the free trees provided by PPNP.
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As stewards, you have agreed to now water and care for the tree for the first two years of it’s life.
DID YOU KNOW that every new tree requires 15-20 gallons of water a week for at least its first two years?!
Finding and mobilizing tree leaders on your Main Street is just the kind of job a Main Street Manager would and should take on. Learn more about the work involved in being a Main Street Manager here.
