Make a Splash Close to Home….

Jones FallsWatershed Association

  Mission: Jones Falls Watershed Association works to protect and

restore the health and beauty of the Jones Falls Watershed through

restoration, monitoring, advocacy, and citizen awareness.

Make a Splash Close to Home….

WhereWe

Work.

Make a Splash Close to Home….

A Diverse Watershed• Total Area: 58 square miles

– 2/3 in Baltimore County– 1/3 in Baltimore City

• Population: 200,000+• Miles of Stream: 267.4• Percent Covered by

Impervious Surfaces: 34.5%• Jones Falls Outlet: The Inner

Harbor & The Chesapeake Bay

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Make a Splash Close to Home….

JFWA School Tree Planting Program

• Developed in response to Baltimore’s Urban Tree Canopy goals

• Watershed is 30% institutional land – a logical place to start

• Limitations: Funding, staff time

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Starting up…

• Decision to provide more small trees vs. fewer large trees

• Outreach to schools via mass email

• Overwhelming response from a variety of schools

• Challenge: Recruiting Baltimore City public schools

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Program Guidelines• Up to 25 trees per school• Letter of permission from school

administrator required• Site visit from me• Trees selected from Maryland

Natives Nursery catalog based on site characteristics

• Students must plant• School is responsible for tree

maintenance and watering.

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Each School Is Different• Different levels of

understanding about tree planting and selection

• Different ideas about planting process – entire school vs. one class

• Site constraints at schools

• Facilities Managers

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Friends, Bryn Mawr & Gilman Schools• Added trees

to Stony Run stream buffer

• Students also removed invasive vines

• Brought attention to the creek for students and teachers

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Ridgely Middle School

• Worked with school to develop “no-mow zone”

• Reduce area devoted to lawn

• Reduce mowing, fertilizers

• Will spread wildflower seed to further beautify area

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Beth Tfiloh School• Reforestation

area on critical buffer to Moore’s Branch creek

• Reduce mowing?

• Indecisive about future of area

• MPT filming

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Maryland Institute College of Art• Only college in

this round of plantings

• Beautified a public median strip on campus

• Involved neighbors who will help maintain

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Pikesville High School• Facilities limited

placement of trees to rear of school – unsure of future building on school ground

• Developed understory habitat to create MD forest environment

• Work with school to establish no-mow zone

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Most Popular Trees

• Too many choices of trees can be confusing, overwhelming to teachers

• Most schools were looking for shade, beauty – Redbud– Flowering dogwood– Red maple– Oaks

• Not popular: sweet gum & sycamore!

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Challenges

• Some schools had trouble finding the time to get approval and select trees – made ordering trees a challenge

• Baltimore County public schools had to have a site visit and approval from the County Facilities Manager

• Some schools didn’t appreciate the small trees

• Will they be mowed and watered?

Make a Splash Close to Home….

Successes• Over 450 trees

planted at 16 schools and 1 college

• New contacts made at schools, leading to additional projects and CWP assessments

• Involved over 500 students

• Waiting list for Fall!