Franklin Park & Forest Tree Planting Fall 2021
Neighbors Steve Lagerfeld, Mike Rapp, and crew
A wonderful example of what neighbors can accomplish, with imagination and persistence, is the Tree-Planting Initiative created by Steve Lagerfeld and Mike Rapp. They call themselves, half in jest, the “Committee to Re-Forest the Forest.” Each fall, Mike and Steve have offered neighbors up to 18 substantial nursery-grown oaks, maples, and black gums, delivered and planted at a considerable discount, thanks in part to the support of Great Jones Developments.
The Urban Forest Alliance, which collaborates with Mike and Steve’s effort, sat down with them for the following interview:
UFA: How did you both get started doing this?
Mike: Around 2016, we were commiserating about the sad state of our urban forest, with the loss of so much tree canopy. Steve and I were at a planning meeting of the Franklin Forest Frolickers (FFF) – a social group of about 50 neighborhood families – and we said: “We should do something about this.”
Steve: Yes! So we met up at Starbucks, and had a lot of conversation – involving Carolyn, Mike’s wife, as well. We realized that losing the tree canopy was not just about “bad developers clear-cutting housing lots.” Trees die – from disease, and from old age. Growing up, my family had a nursery business, and I’d been planting trees from the age of five on into my twenties. So we had this idea about offering to plant trees in neighborhood yards, but we thought we could use some help – both physical and financial. We got the trees at wholesale prices and Daniel Valencic, of Great Jones, donated the cost of planting, which enabled us to offer this service at at a substantial discount.
Mike: We used our social network of the FFF to publicize our first “Reforest the Forest” campaign.
Steve: And we became very efficient. The day after the trees were delivered to us, we planted them at the homes requesting them. The first plantings were on Veterans’ Day, 2016. Fall planting is best for the trees’ survival. Also, we find that container trees do better, so that’s what we use. Burlap wrapped trees have had their roots cut significantly, which makes it more difficult to reestablish the root system after planting.
Mike: And of course we have to worry about deer. We need to protect the tree trunks from them, so we place a barrier around the trunk to protect the bark.
Steve: Each year, we’ve planted between 12 and 18 trees. This year we’re aiming for 18 again.
Mike: It’s a long day of planting – but we keep it to just one day’s work.UFA: Do you encounter any frustrations?
Steve: Well, the people who already have a lot of trees are often the ones who want our trees. We’d like to have newer residents join our campaign.
Mike: Also, most of the older houses will be torn down when sold, and replaced with larger homes. That usually means trees will have to come down, and the numbers planted by builders do not make up for the pre-build tree canopy, even projected out 10 years. So virtually every new house would benefit from additional tree-planting.
Steve: And for older houses, it’s best if the trees are planted around the edges of the property – so they won’t need to be taken down, if a larger house is built on the lot later on.
UFA: Thanks for your time this afternoon. We’re so impressed — that you saw a problem, and figured out a way to solve it! Your story reminds us all of the power of community in creative problem-solving.