Tree Toga 2023 volunteers. Photo credit: Sally Willse
Sustainable Saratoga volunteers shine in the rain at Tree Toga 12
Saratoga Springs, NY – How much do we love our trees? Even the rain couldn’t keep more than 160 Tree Toga volunteers from gathering at Pitney Meadows Community Farm on Saturday, April 29. The morning started out with an enthusiastic crowd getting a lesson on how to properly plant a bare root tree, and of course singing the traditional Planting Song. Planting teams then dispersed to their assigned locations throughout Saratoga Springs to plant trees.
Tree Planters hard at work. Photo credit Buck DeWolf
This year’s event added 38 trees to our urban forest, in front of homes and along public streets. Six new large-growing, native trees line Federal Street, thanks to a generous donation from longtime Tree Toga supporter Colin Faulds. Those six trees were planted by a group of volunteers that included a crew from Rockefeller Capital Management, who can watch them grow from their offices. Teams of volunteers will serve as caregivers for the young trees, watering them every week throughout the critical first seasons to ensure they have the best possible start in life. You can be a tree caregiver, too. Sign up here to volunteer to water a tree: https://sustainablesaratoga.org/tree-toga/
Sustainable Saratoga is grateful to Pitney Meadows Community Farm for providing the venue for Tree Toga again this year, to Allerdice Hardware for donating stakes and ties for the trees, to the Bread Basket Bakery for donating refreshments, and to the Saratoga Springs Department of Public Works for their ongoing support of Tree Toga and our urban forest.
Federal Street Planting Crew. Photo credit: Sally Willse
Why plant trees? In addition to providing long lasting beauty, research shows that urban trees enhance retail and restaurant profitability, increase property values, save energy, improve air quality, reduce water pollution, enhance our mental and physical health, and provide wildlife habitat.
To become a Tree Toga Tree Host and have a large-growing shade tree planted in your front yard next year, go to https://sustainablesaratoga.org/tree-toga/ and request a tree for Tree Toga 2024.
About Sustainable Saratoga
Sustainable Saratoga is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources, through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area. Since 2008, Sustainable Saratoga has been a leader in promoting awareness of environmental issues and what we as a local community can do to minimize our ecological impact while maintaining a high quality of life.
