TILGHMAN – American Forests, the nation’s oldest nonprofit environmental organization, has provided 100 historic trees to be sold to the public by Phillips Wharf Environmental Center as part of its tree-planting program. The historic trees will be sold on Saturday, April 14, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., beside the Tilghman Post Office at 5806 Tilghman Island Road (Route 33).
The young historic trees, 2 to 4 feet tall, are direct descendants of red maples that stand at Walden Woods; white oaks that shade Abraham Lincoln’s tomb; persimmons and southern magnolias that have long stood beside landmarks in Arlington National Cemetery, including the John F. Kennedy gravesite; Robert E. Lee redbuds and sycamores; Martin Luther King sycamores; and Wright Brothers sweetgums. These historic trees will be priced at $30 and come with Certificates of Authenticity stating each tree’s heritage.
A selection of local trees also will be available at very reasonable prices through the courtesy of the Eastern Shore Nurseries of Easton and Environmental Concern Inc. of St. Michaels. These include a dozen additional species that thrive in the Mid-Shore area. Proceeds will benefit Phillips Wharf. More information is at www.pwec.org.
“This is part of our environmental mission,” said Kelley Cox, founder and executive director of Phillips Wharf Environmental Center. “We want to improve the Chesapeake Bay, and trees go a long way toward cleaning up runoff that is headed for the Bay. Trees also help clean the air, provide wildlife habitat, and can reduce heating and cooling costs.”
Lea Sloan, a Tilghman homeowner and vice president of communications for American Forests, said that the tree sale fits American Forests’ mission. “We’re all about reforestation,” she said. “Kelley is right that trees are simply good for the Bay and good for the planet. They provide shade in the heat of summer, their fallen leaves improve the soil, and they literally eat up greenhouse gases. Planting trees is one of the most environmentally responsible things a person can do.”
For decades, American Forests cultivated the descendants of dozens of trees with historical significance, but that program is ending as the organization, which was founded in 1875, redoubles its efforts to protect and restore forests. Since 1990, it has planted more than 40 million trees. “We’re very happy to be partnering with Phillips Wharf Environmental Center,” Sloan said, “and to see that these trees find good homes in an environmentally sensitive area. We hope they will become points of interest for residents and visitors of all ages.”
Tilghman Island, traditionally a watermen’s community at the mouth of the Choptank River, has in recent years lost many of its mature trees to ice storms, high winds, and old age. In 2011, many trees planted in the 1950s and 60s were felled during violent summer windstorms.” Phillips Wharf Environmental Center is based in the last crab shanty on Knapps Narrows. Its popular Fishmobile takes environmental education programs to schools and special events. It is overseeing Tilghman’s participation in the Marylanders Grow Oysters program and has placed almost 200 cages of spat off local docks.
American Forests restores and protects urban and rural forests. Founded in 1875, it is the oldest national non-profit conservation organization in the country and has served as a catalyst for many of the most important milestones in the conservation movement, including the founding of the U.S. Forest Service, the national forest and national park systems, and literally thousands of forest ecosystem restoration projects and public education efforts. Since 1990, American Forests has planted more than 40 million trees in forests throughout the U.S. and beyond, resulting in cleaner air and drinking water, restored habitat for wildlife and fish, and the removal of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. More information is at www.americanforests.org.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
beside the Tilghman Post Office at 5806 Tilghman Island Road (Route 33)
Tighman, MD 21671
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.