Tree Sale Works To Build Up Brooklyn Park’s Natural Canopy
October is the perfect time to spot fall foliage, though you wouldn’t expect to see such a rich variety in a public works building’s parking lot.
About 150 trees were set out for distribution at the Brooklyn Park Operations building on Friday. That was a part of a partnership between the city and Tree Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to building up tree canopy and a community in the process.
The trees sold throughout the month of October. Each one is sold at a big discount, for what organizers hope is a big impact. Megan Christel, alongside her coworkers, unloaded two truck fulls of trees outside the building.
“It’s just kind of a piece of transforming lives and landscapes, which is our mission,” Christel said.
A row of trees, sorted by species.
The tree sale began in late September, and ran for about a month. As the sale began, City Forester Aki Jacobs told CCX that there were an estimated 40,000 ash trees in Brooklyn Park. All of those are at risk of dying in the next 5-10 years due to the emerald ash borer insect.
“Brooklyn Park was kind of already on the lower end of the spectrum compared to other cities of our size in the region. We were already underserved with tree cover,” Jacobs said. “Now, we are losing all these trees on top of it. So this is a huge issue.”
To replace the dying trees– and enhance forestry throughout the city– grant funding made the trees affordable for anyone.
“These can market upwards of $200, whereas with the subsidized funding and grant source, it’s at $40 a tree. So it really is about opening up accessibility,” Christel said.
Trusting the Trees
Christel said the trees do more than filter the air and lower temperatures in neighborhoods. It’s work that she’s passionate about– and has fun with.
“Something that really has drawn me to the work is the mental health benefits. Crime is reduced in area that have higher tree canopy. It just makes people happier,” Christel said.
This season, the partnership sold over 130 trees. Christel said there are 15 different species going out into the city on Saturday. Bachman’s and Wilson’s provide the trees. Each sale, the varieties of species change to bring a greater variety across the region.
“Making sure that people, even in the city, get to experience that green… You go up north and see it everywhere. That nature is everywhere. I feel like sometimes in the cities you don’t get that,” Christel said.
Tree Trust staff sort a truckload of trees of all kinds.
Even after all the heavy lifting, nothing makes the group happier than a lot full of trees.
Tree Trust contributes to a map that measures tree canopy levels across the metro. That system helps them decide which cities to partner with for tree sale initiatives. You can view the “Growing Shade Tool” on the Metro Transit website. The tool provides a number of ways to measure disparities and tree cover levels in different neighborhoods.
