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It was a mission that started with the goal of “beautification.”
Recognition of the accompanying health and environmental benefits came along soon afterward.
And it’s not skincare or hair products—it’s trees.
“In 43 years, we’ve planted over 32,000 trees in the Tulsa area,” says Shawn Davis, director of community outreach at Up With Trees. “As more research has come out over the years, we really have started to realize the holistic impact trees have on our community.”
There are over 750 sites in the Tulsa, OK area sporting the acclaimed wooden sign indicating the mark of Up With Trees. The potential areas for tree planting are endless, including schools, parks and major roadways in and around the city.
But Davis says what most people don’t realize is that Up With Trees does so much more than planting. Education is a secondary, if not equally important mandate of the organization.
“We’re trying to nurture the next generation in the same way we nurture our trees,” says Davis. “As the future sustainable stewards of our community, it’s important they understand the impact that trees have on our ecosystem.”
Last year, Up With Trees educated over 2,500 students both in and outside of the classroom.
Image gallery: Up With Trees
This organization has planted more than 32,000 trees over four decades in the vicinity of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Determining the next location for tree planting is a calculated and strategic process, according to Davis. Careful assessments are done to identify priority areas in the city and community of Tulsa.
“Our assessments are done in such a way that we can look at an area and say if we planted more trees here, it would increase the quality of the water, provide fresh food sources, increase the quality of breathing area, and so on,” says Davis.
“There’s a whole culmination of positive things that can happen when you plant a tree.”
This spring, Enbridge sponsored an Up With Trees highway project, donating $5,000 for a tree-planting initiative along Tulsa’s highway I-244. Enbridge employees participated in the planting process as part of the Our Community Partners volunteer program.
The price of a young tree is rather steep, coming in at around $500 each. Davis says this cost accounts for both installation and maintenance needs.
“We have a three-year establishment period on all the trees we plant,” she says. “We water and structurally prune them, which is all made possible by grants that help to fund that.”
The assessment done by Up With Trees also inform the organization of what types of trees to plant, meaning one can find oaks, pines, and food-bearing trees all over the Tulsa area.
With such care and attention given to each tree, Davis says the excitement is undeniable knowing the tree is going to survive.
“The area is forever changed once a tree is planted there,” she says. “Whether it’s a five-tree or 100-tree planting project, we know we’re making the city of Tulsa a healthier one.”
