Let’s plant trees!
We plant and take care of trees because they shade us, provide cooler buildings, streets and neighborhoods, because they deliver soil aeration, erosion control, habitat for wildlife, and because they offer beauty. Trees supply the critical function of drawing down carbon from the atmosphere and putting it in the soil. As Bishop Eugene Sutton puts it: “They take care of us. Let’s take care of them!”
Fall is the perfect season for planting trees in Maryland. How can you get involved? Ordinarily, we could point you to a variety of tree planting events, but due to the global pandemic, many such programs are on hold or scaled way back. But, here are a few ideas to get involved right now:
- Plant trees with an organization near you, such as Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, Plant A Tree Day in Bladensburg MD, or StreamLink Education in Frederick County for example.
- Follow GreenGrace on Facebook to keep up to date on tree planting opportunities this fall.
- Join Arbor Day Foundation to get “sticks in the mail”, which you can plant in your yard and enjoy a variety of trees and woody shrubs as they mature into carbon sinks.
- Use the Marylanders Plant Trees program (Maryland Department of Natural Resources) to get a $25 coupon on a tree with retail value of $50 or more at participating nurseries.
- Support a growing set of grassroots advocacy groups getting forest protection legislation in their counties.
Watch for Blue Water Baltimore Facebook alerts about its tree planting events coming soon in Baltimore City.
Photo credit: Baltimore Tree Trust
