Asplundh Supports Community Tree Programs

There are thousands of service projects crying out for help from businesses like Asplundh and the utilities we serve. From the use of our equipment to providing the "sweat equity" of skilled volunteers, some of the most appropriate service projects that Asplundh can support are community forestry projects.
Whether the goal is to improve wildlife habitat, water quality, air quality or the quality of life in our crowded, hot cities, here are a few projects that Asplundh has recently supported, either as a corporate sponsor or through employee initiatives.

National Wild Turkey Federation

This grassroots, non-profit conservation group has been working hard since 1973 to form partnerships with industry and state governments to restore habitat and food sources for wild turkeys and other wildlife. Through its regional habitat programs, the NWTF plants thousands of trees each year-crabapples in the Northeast and oaks in the South, for instance.
With the initiative of several Asplundh executives, the company donated the funds to buy and properly plant 100 sergeant crabapple seedlings on June 25 at Lake Nockamixon State Park, not far from Asplundh's headquarters in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. About 30 volunteers from local NWTF chapters, the park staff, gamelands officers and Asplundh were on hand that evening for a brief thank-you ceremony and presentation on NWTF achievements.
Joining in the tree planting event were Vice Presidents Chris Asplundh, Jr. and Steven Asplundh, along with Corporate Risk Manager Dennis Stapola and Quality Assurance Manager Paul Johnston. Within an hour and a half all the trees were planted, safely staked and protected until they grow large enough to provide winter forage for hungry turkeys and other birds.

PSE Nursery Trees

In the Mick Kavran Region in Washington, Jim Trainer works for Asplundh as a community forester for Puget Sound Energy (PSE). He is a tireless advocate for utility-sponsored tree planting programs. Through his work with PSE, tree nurseries for low-growing and native species have been established at three locations.
Jim obtains a variety of trees through the National Tree Trust and coordinates volunteers to plant and care for them at the PSE community partnership nurseries. A shameless promoter of tree planting, he also helps coordinate the distribution of the seedlings to worthy projects throughout the PSE service area.
Early in June, he joined with fellow Asplundh employees and local volunteers to donate the removals of three hazardous trees and plant 125 PSE-sponsored trees for a memorial grove in a cemetery near Port Orchard, Washington. Consulting Utility Forester Janet Brown, General Foremen Rob Fly and Kipp Dennis, Foreman Mark Stokke and Crew Members Nick Finkbeiner and Baruk Hall formed the planting and removal crews. The local press was very favorable and our employees felt good about improving the community's environment.

Reforest the Bluegrass

In Kentucky, the Bluegrass State, more than 91,000 trees have been planted over the past three years in an effort to improve stream water quality, prevent flooding downstream and attract wildlife through a program called Reforest the Bluegrass.
In late March, for the second year in a row, Manager Dave Ellifritz, his family, and some of his employees participated in a tree planting event near Lexington, Kentucky. Coordinated by Municipal Environmental Engineer Dave Gabbard, almost 800 volunteers planted more than 20,000 trees along a creek in a public park. An Asplundh bucket truck on display there made it possible to see the awe-inspiring sight of row upon row of new trees where there once was only grass.

American Chestnut Foundation

The American Chestnut was once the major hardwood species in the eastern U.S. until the early 1900s when a fungus or blight killed nearly every tree. Today, the American Chestnut Foundation is working to restore the tree to its original range.
In the Bill Frenier Region in Maine, the American Chestnut Foundation has been the beneficiary of lift equipment and skilled volunteers from Asplundh to help with the pollination and seed collection processes on the state's isolated survivors. With their help, by the end of the decade, blight-resistant American Chestnut trees are expected to be available for planting. It will be a great accomplishment in which Asplundh will have played a small part.

Supporting Tree Research

For several years, Asplundh has played a part in raising funds for urban and utility tree research by supporting the International Society of Arboriculture's Research Trust (ISART). Six annual golf outings, sponsored by Asplundh, have raised over $100,000.
For the second year in a row, Asplundh has also donated support in the form of a van, staff person and PR assistance for the ISART Tour des Trees. This 600-mile bicycle tour raises funds and public awareness of the need for healthier and more thoughtfully managed urban forests. Technical Services Manager Geoff Kempter in Willow Grove, a four-time Tour des Trees veteran, is still taking tax-deductible pledges for this year's ride. Do your part today to support community tree programs, large or small!

 

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