Renew America Success Stories

Birthing Tree Program

Description

Each year, supporters of the Birthing Tree Program plant a small grove of about 20 trees in a Virginia county park.  These trees are dedicated to all the babies born in the county that year. The trees planted are seedlings from parent trees growing on the Mount Vernon Estate (George Washington's home) or a historic location listed in American Forests' Famous and Historic Trees Program. A plaque is placed in the county's maternity hospitals identifying the location of each year's grove.

The Birthing Tree Program is a project of Fairfax ReLeaf, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to planting trees and restoring habitat on public lands in Northern Virginia. More than one-third of Northern Virginia's urban forest has been lost in just the past two decades, according to the USDA Forest Service, a trend that Fairfax ReLeaf is working hard to reverse.

Fairfax ReLeaf's 200 volunteers plant donated native trees, saplings and seedlings along roadsides, in public parks, at schools, retirement homes, day care centers and libraries. The group also conducts Earth Day and Arbor Day events, sponsors tree-awareness "teach-ins" at elementary schools and encourages tree conservation.

Trees provide numerous economic and environmental benefits. They reduce air pollution; provide shade; serve as a buffer from glare, noise and traffic fumes; reduce stormwater runoff, create shelter and food for a wide variety of small wildlife such as threatened songbirds, butterflies and fireflies; raise property values and even raise awareness about environmental issues among children.

Fairfax ReLeaf volunteers are a diverse group -- they come from interested civic groups, Scout troops, local businesses, churches and schools. At a time when county governments are scaling back spending on tree planting and tree maintenance, Fairfax ReLeaf's efforts are particularly valuable. "It's nice," said Rose Jennings, a Fairfax Releaf volunteer, "you're doing something for the environment, for Fairfax, for the animals, for everything."

Program Highlights

Additional Programs

• Islands of Green.This program creates "islands of green" in an otherwise urban environment by planting trees amidst buildings, roads and other facilities. The trees reduce energy costs for cooling and heating, mitigate erosion and siltation, allow fewer stormwater structures and reduce the need for roadside mowing.
• Tree Rescue Program. This program transplants trees from a site slated for development. In 1992, 250 trees were saved from a site being developed as a golf course.

• Fairfax ReLeaf focuses much of its community landscaping effort on places and people who can't afford to plant trees themselves like schools, parks, libraries, county centers and retirement homes.
• Fairfax ReLeaf seeks to restore wildlife habitat, create "mini woodlands" and improve degraded landscapes.
• Fairfax ReLeaf donates a new tree for every mature tree removed for safety reasons from all county parks, ensuring no net loss of park trees.
• In touting the benefits of urban tree planting, Fairfax ReLeaf says:
• Grow Don't Mow -- Trees beautify highways naturally at least cost.
• Paid in the Shade -- Trees reduce air conditioning costs.
• Seedling Leverage -- Low-cost seedlings grow into expensive trees, which raise property values.
• Plant More, Flood Less -- Trees help reduce erosion, reducing the possiblity of flooding.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The National Tree Trust, Virginia Department of Forestry, Union Camp Corporation, Northern Virginia Nurserymen's Association, Chevrolet/Geo (through "Geo-Tree"), Ogden Martin Corporation, Ryder Rents, Davey Tree Experts, Fairfax Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County Park Authority, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, Virginia Department of Transportation, Greater DC Cares, numerous Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, high school civics classes, youth clubs, Rotary clubs, elementary schools and eco-organizations.

Budget: Please contact program for details.

Community Served: Residents of Northern Virginia, including school children and residents of retirement homes.

Measures of Success:

More than 20,000 trees were planted by Fairfax ReLeaf from 1993 to 1994.

Ten highway tree planting and mini woodland projects were begun over the last two years.

About two dozen tree planting projects in county parks, schools and residential communities were launched over the past two years.

Success stories designed by Mark W. Nowak

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