The City of Kentwood is inviting community members to its annual Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 25, to highlight the important role trees play in our environment and encourage tree planting.
Residents of all ages are invited to join the Arbor Day Celebration at Home Acres Park, 145 Farnham St. SE. The event will begin at noon with an Arbor Day proclamation reading by Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley, followed by a tree planting. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will be on-site to provide giveaways and free educational materials. Complimentary refreshments also will be provided.
“Each year, we gather to honor the trees that provide clean air and enhance the beauty and biodiversity of our parks and public spaces,” Kepley said. “Our Arbor Day Celebration is also an opportunity to encourage one another to plant new trees and protect our existing trees from invasive species for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley speaks at Arbor Day Celebration 2024. (Photo Courtesy, City of Kentwood)
Kentwood residents can pick up a free tree seedling April 22-25 at the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE. Tree seedlings also will be available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday or until supplies are gone.
Kentwood residents can check on tree seedling availability by calling the Parks and Recreation Department at 616-656-5270. Residents are invited to share a photo of their planted seedling on social media using the hashtag #GreeningKentwood.
The Arbor Day Celebration is sponsored by Railtown Brewing Company, which hosts an annual fundraiser in March that provides a portion of sales from its Bike Ride Blonde ale toward the purchase of trees for the Arbor Day Celebration. This year Railtown Brewing Company raised $1,168 for the Arbor Day Celebration.
Learn more about Kentwood’s Arbor Day Celebration and sign up to volunteer at kentwood.us/ArborDay.
The Tree Amigos – City of Wyoming Tree Commission will host an Arbor Day event at Prairie Park on Thursday, April 24 at 4 p.m. The event will include music and the reading of the Arbor Day Proclamation. In collaboration with the City of Wyoming Parks Dept., The Tree Amigos will plant a Brandywine Red Maple at Prairie Park after the ceremony.
Following the event, The Tree Amigos and volunteers will plant approximately 20 trees in the nearby neighborhood on Sharon Street SW, south of 28th Street. Volunteers are welcome!
Consulting arborist Lauren Davis, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks Director of Programs, recently surveyed the street for potential planting spaces. Tree Amigos Matt Ferris and Matt Jemilo followed up with door-to-door visits to see if residents at the selected addresses wanted a tree – and received an overwhelmingly positive response.
The City of Wyoming Tree Commission, The Tree Amigos, is a volunteer board that seeks to improve the City’s tree canopy with the goal of creating a healthier, more vibrant community.
This event is free, but RSVPs are appreciated and can be completed here.
Helpful event details
Volunteers are asked to wear closed-toe shoes and comfortable clothing and bring a shovel, hard rake, and work gloves if they have them.
The group will meet at Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center at 8:45 a.m. to sign in, enjoy refreshments, and watch a planting demonstration with ReLeaf Michigan’s tree experts.
Families are welcome! The event occurs rain or shine. No planting experience is necessary.
One morning of tree planting will leave an environmental legacy that will add beauty to the community for generations (Courtesy, Wyoming Tree Commission)
An environmental legacy
Trees provide incredible benefits to the communities in which they are planted. Trees improve air and water quality, reduce stormwater runoff, improve mental wellness, reduce childhood asthma rates, cool our neighborhoods, and enhance commercial and economic vitality.
Join us for the morning and leave an environmental legacy that will add to the beauty of your community for generations!
Funding for this project has been provided by the USDA Forest Service and MDNR Urban and Community Forestry Programs through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
The City of Kentwood will once again honor Arbor Day with a tree planting and celebration, which will include a free tree seedling giveaway.
Residents of all ages are invited to join Kentwood’s Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 26 at Pinewood Park, 1999 Wolfboro Drive SE. The event begins at noon with an Arbor Day proclamation, followed by a tree planting and a guided tree identification walk in the park. Complimentary refreshments also will be provided.
Arbor Day is an annual observance held each spring to recognize the impact of trees in the community and encourage tree planting.
“Our trees, of different species and sizes, offer more than just visual charm,” Mayor Stephen Kepley said. “They serve as vital contributors to a cleaner and healthier environment. Our Arbor Day Celebration is an opportunity to collaborate and encourage one another by not only planting new trees, but also protecting our existing tree canopy from invasive species for the preservation and enjoyment of today and future generations.”
Pick up your free seedlings April 23-26
Residents can pick up free tree seedlings at the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE, or at Kentwood Department of Public Works, 5068 Breton SE, ahead of the celebration. The seedlings will be available during business hours Tuesday, April 23 through Friday, April 26 while supplies last.
Community members can check on tree seedling availability by calling the Parks and Recreation Department at 616-656-5270. The Kentwood Activities Center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Residents are invited to share a photo of their planted seedling on social media using the hashtag #GreeningKentwood.
The Arbor Day Celebration is sponsored by Railtown Brewing Company and Metronet. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)
The Arbor Day Celebration is sponsored by Railtown Brewing Company and Metronet. Railtown Brewing Company also held a fundraiser through March where a portion of the proceeds from every Bike Ride Blonde ale purchased went towards supporting the planting of trees in Kentwood for Arbor Day.
More information about Kentwood’s Arbor Day Celebration can be found at kentwood.us/ArborDay.
Community members who are looking for more ways to get involved beyond Arbor Day are invited to join the Kentwood Park Stewards, an environmentally focused program that helps preserve and maintain neighborhood parks, trails and public spaces. More information about the program is available at kentwood.us/ParkStewards.
In the fall of 2020, the Wyoming Tree Commission (The Tree Amigos), with volunteer helped planted trees in the Godfrey-Lee area. (Courtesy, Wyoming Tree Commission)
Whether it be the shade from a hot summer day to the colorful leaves dropping that add nature’s beauty in the fall, trees can provide a natural respite for a community as well as improve air and water quality.
However, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, underserved communities tend to have fewer trees than other city neighborhoods and local organizations working to add tree canopy to those areas can face unique challenges.
To help make a difference in one such area are three organizations, the City of Wyoming Tree Commission – The Tree Amigos, the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, and ReLeaf Michigan. Tuesday, May 23, the groups will come together to plant 20 trees at the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center, 961 Joosten St. SW, to plant 20 trees. Volunteers also are being sought to help with the project.
Building Shade Equity
“We are working in Godfrey Lee for two reasons,” said Estelle Slootmaker, who is a member and founder of Tree Commission (The Tree Amigos), which noted the group has planted trees in the Godfrey-Lee district in the past. “The area’s canopy has been disastrously decreased by storms and development.
“The neighborhood, like many U.S. neighborhoods experiencing income challenges, lacks shade equity. Shaded neighborhoods promote mental health, reduce crime, have cleaner air with less asthma and other breathing conditions, and higher property values.”
The other reason the commission has selected the Godfrey-Lee area was because of the advocacy of volunteers Susan VanBronkhorst and Rosemary Davis, who have advocated for planting in the neighborhood, and because of Godfrey-Lee science teacher Deb Truszkowski, who has been working to get The Tree Amigos active with the district.
Truszkowski said it was a National Geographic article that raised her awareness for the lack of tree canopies in underserved areas. She teaches a world disasters course at the high school which focuses on climate change.
“We are currently looking into areas that lack tree canopies and how that affects a community,” Truszkowski said, adding the classes have been discussing how redlining, where lenders refused loans to people living in a certain area, impacted a neighborhood and its environment, such as parks, green space and trees.
Students from two of Truszkowski’s classes will participate in the planting along with talking to volunteers and learning from ReLeaf Michigan.
Volunteer Opportunities
ReLeaf Michigan, a 35-year-old non-profit organization, partners with communities statewide to replenish community tree canopies through volunteer tree planting events. In 2022, the DTE Foundation granted $350,000 to ReLeaf for tree plantings in communities throughout the state.
Slootmaker said ReLeaf is providing the 20 trees and the organization’s forester helped select the planting sites. On planting day, ReLeaf representatives will be there to provide instruction and supervise the plantings.
“They will be providing information on the proper way to plant and for the trees,” Slootmacher said, adding it is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn more about planting and green spaces.
Those interested in volunteering — no planting experience is necessary — should wear closed-toe shoes and comfortable clothing and bring a shovel, hard rake, and work gloves if they have them. The group will meet at Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center located, 961 Joosten St. SW, at 8:45 a.m. to sign in, enjoy refreshments, and watch a planting demonstration with ReLeaf Michigan’s tree experts.The event occurs rain or shine.
