PARKS & PEOPLE FOUNDATION (Baltimore, MD) - BRANCHES Youth Forestry Program

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

(Parks Practices)


	Herring Run team restoring Hall Springs

PARKS & PEOPLE FOUNDATION
Baltimore, MD

In This Profile: Program Description • Program Goals • Timeframe • Budget • Funding/Support • Results Achieved • Lessons Learned • Ask The Expert • Contact Information

Introduction

Parks & People Foundation is dedicated to supporting a wide range of recreational and educational opportunities, creating and sustaining beautiful and lively parks, and promoting a healthy natural environment for all. Founded in 1984, Parks & People has become Baltimore's leading non-profit organization providing creative solutions to urban recreation, park and natural resource issues in the Baltimore area. We collaborate with communities, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and businesses to implement innovative community environment and revitalization strategies that engage residents in improving their natural, economic and social environment.

Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks and People & Parks Foundation are members of the City Parks Alliance. The executive director for Parks & People Foundaton, Jacqueline M. Carrera, serves on the board of the City Parks Alliance.

Program title: BRANCHES Youth Forestry Program

Program description


	More Mulch!

The BRANCHES program has operated for two years, bringing teams of young people to work on restoring natural areas in Baltimore City parks. The BRANCHES program provides summer work and hands-on training in park maintenance and urban forestry, and employed over 40 Baltimore City teens from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Each summer, BRANCHES teams remove invasive species, prune and mulch trees, restore special places and conduct clean-ups in parks throughout the city. BRANCHES teams also learn about career and education opportunities in natural resources, park management and tree care.

BRANCHES teams consist of four-six young people, each trained and led by a graduate student or advanced undergraduate. Team leaders receive two weeks of training in urban forestry, supervisory techniques and leadership skills. Team members receive on-the-job training during a five-week work program. Upon completion of the program, each team presents its work and results to city officials and others, and participants receive certification from Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks as Junior Urban Foresters.

BRANCHES has been successful in enhancing environmental awareness and stewardship among youth participants. BRANCHES youth learned about environmental issues, particularly the importance of urban forests and watersheds. In their own words, here are some of the many things BRANCHES participants took away from their experience:

"I learned how to remove invasive plants and how to identify many native and non-native plants."
"We learned how to take care of parks."
"Mulching is a way to reduce the number of invasives and weeds that grow. It also keeps moisture in the soil for trees' roots."
"I learned how to identify different types of plants and prune and mulch trees."
"We learned about invasive plants, the importance of plants and how to protect them. We also learned not to put trash everywhere and how to respect the earth better."
"Picking up trash is important to keep the park clean, to prevent trash from polluting the Chesapeake Bay, and killing plants and animals."
"I learned how stream buffers prevent erosion, and that almost all litter will eventually wash into rivers and streams."


	Patterson Team working in Canton Waterfront Park

One group provided a fitting summary of value of their work to help urban trees: "We, as the group, think that trees are important because they produce air, shade, oxygen and many other things. We also need trees because they are homes for animals and bugs. Some trees even have food for us and many other animals. If you think about it trees may help us in the long run. Trees prevent erosion in many places, so we think it's very important to have trees in the city."

Program goals/issues addressed:

Program goals are to provide meaningful summer employment and training in urban forestry and tree care for young people from underserved neighborhoods in Baltimore; and improve the health of Baltimore's parks and forests by increasing resources available for their restoration and maintenance.

Timeframe:

We began planning for the BRANCHES Program in the fall, and the program runs from June - August.

Annual program budget:

Click here to see the budget.

Funding sources/partnerships and type of support provided:


	Tree Hugger

Funding for the 2004 BRANCHES program came from a Roots grant from the National Tree Trust, the Weinberg Foundation, the Elizabeth H. and Thomas H. Broadus Jr. Fund, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Funding for the 2005 program came from the Weinberg Foundation, the Home Depot Foundation, and the St. George's Garden Club. The Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Employment Development hires and pays the youth team members, and staff from the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks, and Parks & People contribute significant staff time, as well as tools and materials from previous years.

Results achieved/impact:

In the summer of 2004, BRANCHES teams completed substantial work in six Baltimore City parks, including Cylburn Arboretum, Druid Hill Park, Farring Baybrook Park, Gwynns Falls Park, Herring Run Park and Patterson Park. They removed over 15,000 square feet of invasive plants, pruned and mulched over 700 trees, and removed approximately 350 bags of trash and litter.

In addition, teams repainted fences, restored springs, planted garden beds, and completed special projects at Carrie Murray Nature Center, the Baltimore Conservatory, the Baltimore Zoo and several other city parks. We are still evaluating quantitative results from the 2005 program, but the teams' work made a significant visual impact in the parks.

Lessons learned:

Ideal team size is four, for optimum oversight.
Bringing teams together for group field trips created disciplinary issues.
Experience working with youth is more important than urban forestry experience in hiring good team leaders.
Overseeing teams and directing team leaders took more time than anticipated.
Even though teams only worked for five weeks, their work made a substantial and visible impact on the parks.

Ask the Expert (contact person for additional information on this case study):

Name: Mary Cox
E-mail: mary.cox@parksandpeople.org

Parks & People Foundation
Date submitted: Nov. 23, 2005

Contact Information:

Address: Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks
2600 Madison Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21217

Tel/Fax: 410-396-0339
E-mail: Fran.spero@baltimorecity.gov
Web site address: http://www.baltimorecity.gov/government/recnparks/home.htm

Photos courtesy of Parks & People Foundation

Print Friendly