News

Off To A Great Start – BCCRP plants 68,000 loblolly seedlings in first year

After an intense few months of organizing and 8 weeks of planting trees this winter, 68,000 loblolly pine seedlings were planted on 104 acres of residential property in Bastrop County affected by the Labor Day wildfires of 2011. This would not have been possible without the Texas Conservation Corps, a program of American YouthWorks who provided 5 weeks of labor, and the 250 Central Texans who volunteered their Saturday mornings to reforest residential property. THANK YOU to those who volunteered their time to come plant trees with us! We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support from Bastrop County, its’ residents, and program partners to ensure the first year of tree planting through the Bastrop County Community Reforestation Program was a success.

If you missed helping our Bastrop neighbors this winter or would like to get your hands dirty with us next year, volunteer recruitment will begin this fall. Our goal will dramatically increase to plant over a half million trees next year and we will coordinate at least 20 volunteer events with 1,300 volunteers in Bastrop County!

If you’re itching for a way to chip in now, you can volunteer to plant loblolly seedlings at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. If you come back and volunteer with us in the fall, you could plant the very same trees that you seeded! Now that’s cool! View the PDF linked below for information about how to volunteer.
Help Sow the Seeds of Bastrop’s Future

Love Beer Fundraiser benefiting TreeFolks & others – Buy tickets at lovebeeraustin.com

The Love Beer Fundraiser is a small, intimate event featuring Texas breweries, live music, great food and fun times. Guests will be given a souvenir tasting glass to sample the delicious local beers, and will also be able to visit with the brewers themselves. Proceeds from Love Beer benefit Tree Folks, Meals on Wheels and More, and HAAM.

Love Beer is happening June 15, 2013, from 4pm to 9pm, at the historical Browning Hangar at Mueller (4550 Mueller Blvd., Austin, TX, 78723). There are only a limited number of tickets available, we highly recommend pre-ordering your tickets to save your spot! Tickets are $55 each or $100 for two tickets.

Brewers include: Adelbert’s Brewery, The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co., Austin Beerworks, Black Star Co-op, Circle Brewing Co., Live Oak Brewing Co., Hops & Grain, The Infamous Brewing Co., Jester King, Pedernales Brewing Co., Real Ale Brewing Co., Saint Arnold, South Austin Brewing Co., Thirsty Planet, and more! Live music from various Austin area artists including Monte Warden of the Wagoneers and Lazy J and the Dirty shuffle.

We hope you’ll join us to drink good beer for a good cause! To purchase tickets or find out more about the LoveBeer fundraiser, visit LoveBeerAustin.com. Tell your friends! Follow Love Beer on Twitter Like Love Beer on Facebook

Tree I.D. Walk on National Arbor Day

TreeFolks will celebrate National Arbor Day by hosting a free tree identification workshop in downtown Austin. While springtime isn’t the best time to plant trees in Central Texas, it is an absolutely lovely time to learn about trees and deepen our appreciation of Austin’s urban forest. During the hike, participants will learn basic tree identification principles, practice identifying trees common to Central Texas and discuss characteristics and growth requirements of each of the trees identified.

We will provide light refreshments and laminated field guides will be available for use during the hike. If you would like to take a field guide home, you may purchase one for $8. Bring water, wear sunscreen, and dress appropriately for the weather. The hike is free, but limited to 40 people. We will email you with the meeting place for the hike on Thursday, April 25th.

Eat, Shop, & Play on Earth Day

Over 200 business locations have committed to donate five percent of gross sales on Earth Day, Monday, April 22^nd, to seven local non-profits dedicated to keeping our environment clean, our parks tidy, our springs pristine, our trees aplenty, our open spaces preserved, and so much more!

By getting out to eat, shop, sip, play, spring clean, dance, and more at THESE BUSINESSES on Monday, April 22^nd, the community will make a big difference for these groups working daily to keep your Austin, well, Austin!

This year, Green Mountain Energy has stepped up as the presenting sponsor and businesses like Barley Swine, Sway, Stag, Service Menswear, East Side King, Anderson’s Coffee, Lambert’s, By George, Bouldin Creek Café, Half Price Books, Counter Café, Matt’s El Rancho, MOSS, Solid Gold, Rattle Inn, Kendra Scott, and so many more have committed to supporting this campaign. Take a second to check out all participating businesses and sponsors!

This year’s campaign will benefit HCC, Texas Land Conservancy, Clean Water Fund, Friends of Barton Springs Pool, Austin Parks Foundation, Urban Roots, and TreeFolks. Every dollar raised stays directly in this community to directly benefit our local environment.

Make every day Earth Day!

TreeFolks is pleased to announce that H-E-B, in recognition of Earth Day, has selected EarthShare of Texas to be the April beneficiary for its in-store coupon promotion. This means that customers can tear off and add check-out coupons worth $1, $3, or $5 to their total bill to support environmental work throughout the State of Texas for the entire month of April.

H-E-B supports many EarthShare of Texas organizations with corporate grants or in-kind contributions. The April tear-pad promotion is a bit different as it enables H-E-B customers to bolster the diverse environmental program work of more than three dozen EarthShare of Texas’ organizations, including TreeFolks. The customers’ dollars will go directly to these organizations, benefitting both the Texas environment and economy.

Throughout the month of April and into the first week of May, look for the EarthShare of Texas display and tear-off coupons at the check-out stands in any Texas H-E-B and Central Market stores. Support EarthShare of Texas and the Texas environment!

H-E-B supports many EarthShare of Texas organizations with corporate grants or in-kind contributions. The April tear-pad promotion is a bit different as it enables H-E-B customers to bolster the diverse environmental program work of more than three dozen EarthShare of Texas’ organizations, including TreeFolks. The customers’ dollars will go directly to these organizations, benefitting both the Texas environment and economy.

Thanks, KUT!

During the month of April KUT is featuring TreeFolks as it’s Get Involved Spotlight organization! I heard they have a pledge drive on…send low-res “proof” of your Spring pledge to KUT to giving at treefolks dot org and we’ll give you $10 off of any TreeFolks membership level!

Austin named among 10 Best Cities for Urban Forests

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 5, 2013 — When it comes to a commitment to care for greenspaces in the nation’s leading cities, conservation organization American Forests has found that some urban areas are doing much better than others. Through a combination of an in-depth survey, independent data and a vote by a blue-ribbon panel of leading urban forest experts, the nonprofit has named the 10 best U.S. cities for urban forests: Austin, Charlotte, Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, Sacramento, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

American Forests defines urban forests as “ecosystems of trees and other vegetation in and around communities that may consist of street and yard trees, vegetation within parks and along public rights of way and water systems. Urban forests provide communities with environmental, economic and social benefits and habitat for fish and wildlife.”… Read the rest of the official press release from American Forests here. And don’t miss the gorgeous video about the many benefits of urban forests at the bottom of the page.

Read the American Forests feature on Austin with some great photos of our beautiful urban forest here!

And the story from USA Today here.

Some stories about reforestation efforts in Bastrop County

http://bastropadvertiser.com/2012/12/18/partnerships-pulling-together-to-reforest-the-lost-pines/

http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/290202/reforestation-efforts-continue-in-bastrop-county

NeighborWoods in Your Hood

Recognize these flags? They mean that a homeowner was offered 1 or more totally, completely, FREE trees to plant along the street to create a more shaded, energy-efficient, and walkable neighborhood. Street trees help lower summer temperatures by as much as 5 degrees! We’re currently evaluating yards in South and West Austin to give 3,900 street trees to qualified homeowners. Thanks to a grant from the Save Barton Creek Association, 200 of those trees are guaranteed to go to residents in the Barton Creek recharge zone. If you see these flags in your ‘hood, encourage your neighbors to accept the free trees they were offered – at your next neighborhood meeting, on your neighborhood listserv or with a friendly word. If you have a neighbor who may be unable to plant the trees they are eligible for, offer to plant the trees for them. That small investment of time and neighborliness will pay off in more ways than one!

NeighborWoods has provided more than 50,000 street trees to Austin area homeowners since the start of the program in 1994. Since TreeFolks began managing NeighborWoods in 2002, we’ve provided more than 38,000 trees to more than 20,000 homes! This Fall we delivered more than 1,500 trees to over 800 homes, and will reach a total of 3,900 trees delivered by April 1st. During our 11th year with NeighborWoods, TreeFolks has increased outreach to neighborhood groups and residents to increase response rates and make sure that tree recipients know how to care for the trees once they get them. TreeFolks has organized several events to give away free slow-release tree watering bags, demonstrate the proper way to plant a tree, and answer questions about tree planting and care.

We are currently posting in neighborhoods within the following zip codes: 78704, 78727, 78729, 78745, 78749, 78758, 78759 and a small portion of 78739 and 78748. We posted in 78735 and 78746 earlier this fall, and will return there soon, because that area is in the Barton Creek recharge zone.