Boston Tree Party (FTW!)

 

I wrote about the Boston Tree Party last year on sister site Eat Drink Better. If you haven’t heard of the ‘party’ yet, here’s a quick run-down (via Civil Eats) before getting to the news of the month:

Imagine our cities filled with fruit trees and I don’t mean fruit trees planted by the side of the road dropping fruit on your car once they’re overripe.  I mean fruit trees planted in civic spaces—schools, hospitals, parks, businesses, houses of worship, and more.

Imagine communities coming together to care for their trees, to harvest and share their fruit. These trees become a tool of environmental restoration, helping to restore the health of our soil, improve air quality, and absorb rainwater runoff. From them we learn, participate, and connect to the social and natural world around us. This is the vision of the Boston Tree Party.

More specifically, the Boston Tree Party “is a collaborative campaign to plant pairs of heirloom apple trees in publicly used spaces across Greater Boston,” a Tree Party campaigner recently emailed to me. For even more detail, here’s the TED talk on the Boston Tree Party:

Now, what did the Boston Tree Party achieve in 2011, and what are its goals for 2012?

In 2011, the Tree Party “planted 70 heirloom apple trees (35 pairs) with over 50 different communities all over the Greater Boston area…. In about four years, these 70 trees will collectively start to produce between 10,000-15,000 free apples every year!”

Now, registrations for 2012 plantings are currently open for communities in the Boston area. The deadline is April 15, 2012. Some details on the requirements:

  • Delegations can include schools, churches, businesses, libraries, health centers, clubs & civic organizations, neighborhood/homeowner associations, etc. – very inclusive!
  • Delegations can be a partnership/combination of different organizations (i.e. If a Girl Scout troop wants to participate but doesn’t have access to land, they can partner with a school (who gains permission to plant fruit trees on their campus).)

Requirements to join:

  • Access to two pieces of land that are each 15’ in diameter (they don’t have to be connected, but they do need to be within ¼ mile)
  • $325 to pay for trees, supplies, and support (financial assistance is available)
  • Willingness & commitment to care for these trees long-term

Looks like a wonderful opportunity. As I wrote last year, I hope this spreads far beyond Boston!

If you’re interested in joining the party, email [email protected].

Images courtesy The Boston Tree Party

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