By Barbara Arnstein
On Saturday, April 25th, Green Springville’s third annual “Tree the Village” event will take place throughout the village of Springville, NY. Residents can request a free tree, volunteer to plant on that day, or show their support by donating.
“Through ‘Tree the Village’, we’ve seen trees planted in residential yards where they make an immediate impact for families, and streetscapes,” said Tanya Nickerson, Agriculture Teacher at Springville-Griffith Institute and advisor to the S-GI Future Farmers of America chapter. “The Springville-Griffith Institute campus has become one of the most visible and committed partners in this work, and our students take real pride in being part of something that benefits the entire village. It’s hands-on learning with a real purpose. Students aren’t just talking about environmental stewardship, they’re practicing it. With plans to establish a grove of trees on campus this year, we’re creating something lasting that future classes will be able to learn from, care for, and enjoy. It’s a powerful example of what can happen when a community comes together around a shared vision.”
“Diversity is key to a healthy tree canopy,” explained George Klemens, Green Springville’s “Tree Guy.” “Planting a wide variety of species helps protect against disease and creates stronger, more resilient neighborhoods. Some of our most requested trees are flowering dogwoods, hawthorns, serviceberries, and green-leafed crabapples. They offer beauty, longevity, and real environmental value, especially in smaller spaces. At the same time, trees with more natural green foliage tend to provide the greatest benefit for wildlife, supporting everything from pollinators to birds. We’re especially excited about the grove planned at the Springville-Griffith Institute campus, where we’ve set aside about 25 trees. Over time, that space will grow into a small ecosystem, mixing maples, evergreens, and other species into something both educational and sustainable. Whenever we have to take a tree down, we replace it with two.”
“The trees people are most excited about tend to be the ones that make a big, lasting impact, especially large maples and oaks,” Klemens added. “Maples are long-lived and relatively low-maintenance, while oaks are among the best trees you can plant for wildlife, supporting a wide range of species and strengthening the local ecosystem. That said, our goal is always to find the right tree for the right place. We look at each property individually—sunlight, space, and soil conditions—and balance what homeowners want with what will thrive long-term. We’ve also seen growing interest in flowering trees like hawthorn, flowering dogwood, serviceberry, and green-leafed crabapple because they fit well in tighter spaces while still delivering strong ecological benefits.”
Green Springville welcomes all kinds of donations for the event, including desserts and the use of shovels, trailers, and trucks. To donate money online, go to the top of their Facebook page and click the blue “Donate” button. No amount is too small, and PayPal covers all transaction fees through their charitable Giving Fund. Cash and checks are also acceptable. Checks should be made payable to Green Springville, Inc.
“A person might not realize what their yard is missing, or they might not have considered that they could plant a tree and how that would improve their property.”, said Sam Klemens, Green Springville’s web designer. But once they see it and understand what a tree can offer them, it’s like opening up their mind to all sorts of interesting opportunities from more trees to landscaping to flowers.”
“The volunteers are real unsung heroes here”, said Board member Seth Wochensky, who is the Executive Director of Springville Center for the Arts. “They’ve planted 125 mature-rooted trees each year at no cost to the recipients. That’s more than any other urban forestry project in the area, and we’re proud of that.” For more information, go to Green Springville’s Facebook page, or greenspringville.org. To request a tree, go to greenspringville.org/request-a-tree. For questions, email: info@greenspringville.org