Congratulations to our new Citizen Foresters! Twenty-five citizens recently completed the Tree Trooper Training Program offered through a collaboration with Parkway Partners and Friends of Jefferson the Beautiful. These newly trained volunteers are the cornerstone of the ReLeaf New Orleans Initiative and the future of Urban Forestry. They will support their neighborhoods and organize volunteer efforts that focus on the restoration of the urban canopy and the re-emergence of our lush green city. Please join us on Saturday, October 14 as these Citizen Foresters are recognized at a ceremony held at Parkway Partners. Honorees earning certificates include Constance Adler, Tupper Allen, Deb Austin, Carol Bradford, Shirley Byrd, Margaret Dallosta, Sharon Dore, Joan Doyle, Roslyn Goodick, Ellen Hall, Ellen Hawkins, Joseph Horil, BL Jarboe, Gail Kohl, Julian Doerr Mutter, Amelie Oriol, Pamela Payne, Anna Pleasonton, Christopher Quail, Varney Rannells, Peggy Rosefelt, Kathleen Schrenk, Jude Solomon, Sally Sorensen, Dee Sullivan (pictured above: Tom Campbell, Louisiana Urban Forester, demonstrates proper pruning techniques to Tree Trooper participants.)

Tom Campbell, Urban Forestry Program Director for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture will be on hand to discuss the Chevron Tree Nursery in City Park and to answer audience questions about trees starting at 11:00 a.m. The sale takes place at Parkway Partners greenhouse 1137 Baronne St. corner of Clio St. from 9 a.m. until noon. We will have beautiful fall mums, crotons, and other fall color plants. Pre-order spring bulbs which will be available for pick up on November 11th. We will also take orders for Holiday Poinsettias to be delivered in December so get a head start and order now!

Volunteer to plant trees * Become a Citizen Forester * Sponsor a neutral ground tree You can support organized efforts or create your own tree-planting event in your neighborhood. Donate to the effort and replace a lost neutral ground tree. Get on the list for the next Citizen Forester training.

Chevron is hosting a tree potting event at the Chevron Tree Farm located in City Park on Saturday November 11th. More information will be included in our November newsletter.

Pictured is Mike D'Anastasio, park supervisor with the Department of Parks and Parkways, and volunteers from the New York Press Association who planted 28 trees given by Parkway Partners in Brechtel Park. Parkway Partners extends a big thanks to these volunteers who put on their jeans and got their hands dirty. As a result of their hard work our citizens will enjoy the trees for many years to come!

“Out on the Limb” by Sheila Grissett of the Times Picayune describes the tree damage in the New Orleans area as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita the subsequent “repair” work and drought.