During the panel discussion on engaging tree plant-
ing volunteers at our recent Missouri Community
Forestry Council (MCFC) Conference, retired Columbia
Recreation Specialist Bill Thompson spoke elo-
quently about a volunteer tree planting project he
organized about 28 years ago. I think it is worth-
while to revisit that planting project, as old pho-
tos and time have given us much to reflect on.
For a brief period around 1990, a recycling program
managed by the Missouri Department of Natural
Resources would reward individuals with a free
tree for every three-foot stack of used newspa-
per they collected. Bill Thompson saw that several
parks in central Columbia were lacking in shade
trees, so he reached out to members of the com-
munity, asking them to collect newspapers for him
to trade in for trees. It was wildly successful—stacks
and stacks of newspaper arrived at Bill's office.
I was the Columbia Park Horticulturist at that time
and agreed to help Bill with the handling and deliver-
ing of the trees when they arrived in April of 1991. Bill
gathered volunteers to help plant the trees. Although
neither of us recall exactly how many trees there
were, I estimate there were at least 70, about 12 of
which were planted at Douglass Park. A few went
to several other small parks, but the balance went
to fill the wide open spaces at Again Street Park.
The free trees were mostly a collection of hack-
berry (Celtis occidentalis), red maple (Acer rubrum),
pin oak (Quercus palustris), and green ash (Fraxinus
pennsylvanica), but there were some bur oaks
(Q. macrocarpa) as well. The quality of the nurs-
ery stock was not impressive, but to my surprise,
there was a fairly high survival rate. So although
not all of the trees made it, many of the trees
flourished and are still here today, providing shade
and many more benefits for years to come.
Can volunteer tree planting projects serve
as a catalyst for community change? Looking
back through these photos, I think many of
you would have to agree that they do.
Bill Thompson and Brett O'Brien
consulting at the volunteer tree
planting day at Again Street Park,
April 1991.
18 CityTREES
