Fall Tree Planting
Saturday, November 5th
To participate in this November 5th tree planting, please meet at the College Avenue Library (42nd & College Ave.) at 9:00am. Parking is available across the street on the east side of College in the overflow parking lot. Please do not park in the regular patrons' lot. Volunteers should call Elizabeth, so she can get a head count for lunch etc. at 283-3028 or email jarvisindy@earthlink.net
Training Session
Volunteers who want to learn how to plant trees ahead of time, especially if they have agreed to be team leaders, should come to the Planning Meeting on October 17th, at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church (52nd & Central Ave.) at 6:30 where Andrew Hart of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful will join us for a tree planting lesson. We hope this will enable our volunteers to plant the trees to uniform standards and improve their survivability.
Water Brigade
College Avenue Residents, or others, can help with this project by signing up to be on the Water Brigade. Once the trees are planted, they will need some watering, at least until the frost. This is vitally important!
How come you did not get a tree?
Please note: A few people on College have called and asked to have trees planted at their property during this planting. We did our best to contact all property owners we felt had treelawns that were suitable for shade trees. A very careful screening process was carried out where we examined other nearby trees and structures. We sent out letters to every potential site between 38th and 46th Streets and assigned approximately 30 trees to the first people who responded. If you did not return a postcard requesting a tree, but would like one, we may be able to help you get a tree planted, but it has not been budgeted for this year. Some people have offered to buy their own trees. We could certainly help you plant them, HOWEVER, the city treelawn is city property and permits must be obtained before any landscaping is done. The city takes a very serious interest in what trees are planted and where. Some trees are not suitable for this location, and wires overhead preclude planting any trees but understory ornamentals. Permits must be obtained and Holey Moley must be consulted for each site to be sure there is no underground reason not to dig! Incidentally, you can be fined for planting trees in the treelawn without a permit, or for cutting down or trimming city trees without a permit. This does not apply to trees on your property. The treelawn is a city owned right of way.
If you live north of 46th Street on College, you may also be in luck, for we have applied for a KIB grant to extend the planting up to 52nd Street next spring. Look for a letter in the mail and return the postcard. If we don't contact you by Jan. 31st, please call us. If you are a renter and would like a tree planted, we must have permission from the property owner. Yes, I know it is city property, but no one wants to plant a tree where the adjacent homeowner is unhappy about it. Please call us and tell us how to reach your property owner. For further information, please call Elizabeth at 283-3028.
Remember, the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today!
