The Susie Forest

I’ve loved the Google map. My son Jack fixed some icons for me so I could differentiate between the locales of the trees and away I went. I’ve loved coming home from a tree-planting and putting the newest addition to the Susie Forest on the map.
Then as we got closer to 200 trees funny things began to happen. First, parts of the descriptions began to disappear, then the font got smaller and one tree even transplanted itself. The big change came through when I entered placemark number 201; there was a new page. “That’s ok, I thought” and entered the next tree which also was listed as placemark number 201. What’s with that? Then I noticed that there was only one tree in Corbin Park where I had added several. Oh no, it’s a whole new map.
So what do I do? Should I have one map for Spokane and another for the rest of the world? But by late fall we may very well have more than 200 trees in the city. Then what? – a map for south of the Spokane River and one for north? And if I delete the tree from Chattanooga will that move a non-Spokane tree from Map #2 to Map #1?
I don’t know what to do. We’ve sent a message to Google but no answer. If some one has any ideas let me know. Until we figure out what to do I haven’t added any trees to the map (or maps).
HELP!

Fifteen years ago Susie and a group of bicycle advocates met at the Thunderhead ranch in Wyoming and launched an organization that would strengthen and grow these groups with training, networking and resources. She became the Thunderhead Alliance’s first director. Now known as the Alliance for Biking and Walking, it has grown from 12 to 170 member organizations.
Last month there was a reunion meeting at the Thunderhead Ranch and many of the original founders were there. As part of the meeting they planted the quaking aspen that I had talked to the current director (and Susie’s good friend) Jeff Miller about. But they planted two of them!
Jeff wrote and told me that many of her old friends were there and stories were told and tears were shed.
These two trees will grow and strengthen just as Susie’s beloved Alliance does.

There have been so many trees added to the forest this planting season that I can’t keep it all straight. Trees came in batches. It started in March with six elms at Lewis and Clark High School. Then in May I helped the people at AscendA plant 13 seedlings and I thought that was the biggest addition to the Forest, but June brought an even bigger number -18. Kendall Yards added their street trees to the Susie Forest one evening. They told me there were 16 trees but when I went back to make sure all 16 had tree-grams I found there were really 18 along that street. I added those two to the count. There were six street trees added at Pioneer Electric and six planted on my whirlwind trip west.
Corbin Park has blossomed (or should that be leafed) with young trees. A year ago there was only one Susie tree in the park and two street trees a block north. Now those trees have been joined by seven more in the park and two street trees across the way.
I’m hoping that there will be a planting at the baseball park very soon, but the phone hasn’t rung with news yet. And today a friend called and wants her new apple tree to be a part of the Forest.
So is it 78 or 79 or 80 new trees this season? I’ll just keeping counting.

Susie Forest trees are planted with lots of hoopla and ceremony, but then are they left there to get on with their lives alone? Do we remember them and visit them and use them again? I hope so. Here are some examples of Susie trees that did continue to give back in other ways than the ones that we usually think of.
I planted a tree for Hermania Anslinger, a very good friend and mentor, in 2007. It was a surprise as was another tree planted that same day in Webster Park. This group of friends had a great time planting and picnicking with the arborists that day. We went to the park and visited and picnicked by those trees other summers. When Hermania died this winter at the age of 95 we knew that her memorial had to be by her tree. So on June 19th, close to her birthday, family and friends gathered to talk and remember and to eat a lot in Hermania’s memory. We wrote tree-grams about how we felt about her and how we missed her and hung them in her tree. It’s a place we can go back to and think about her.
In June of last year I planted a tree for the daughter of one of the arborists I work with and not yet one-year-old Hannah came to the planting and played with the tree-grams in the tree as her father held her. This June, Miles, the dad, Hannah and I met at her tree. This time she drew pictures on her tree-grams which her dad helped her to hang in the tree. After playing around the park we came back and she hugged her tree as we got ready to leave. We’re going to meet there many times as she grows up.
I’ve received pictures of another baby by his tree at the one-year anniversary of the planting. I can see how much they’ve both grown.
So, if you’ve planted a tree, use it to celebrate important times in your family’s life, show how children are growing, remember the ones you’ve lost. The trees are there, waiting.

This spring’s tree plantings have brought me some new insights into this venture of mine.

#1 Never give up the microphone. At the Cystic Fibrosis tree planting I was going to do my usual spiel and was allotted a few minutes. As the reality of 500 people ready to go on the fundraising walk began to sink in, the organizers shortened the time and then asked if I would let one of their speakers tell about Susie and the tree. I gave her some info and she announced about the planting – nobody came over and we had to pull people in after the walk. I’m the one with the knowledge and the passion and I could have drawn more people to that out-of-the-way spot. I won’t let that happen again.

#2 No more either-ors. At the opening of the new shelter in Polly Judd Park, a really good crowd listened to the short talks from the mayor, the Judd family, the architect, and the woman who made this happen, Pam Deutschman. Then the master of ceremonies offered the crowd a choice, the tree planting, the walk along the hillside, or PANCAKES. Guess which one most everyone went to. Next time no choices – until after the tree planting.

#3 Keep you mind open. So many of the things we do at a tree plantings come from the people who attend. The cookies, the laminated bookmarks, and the tree-grams became a part of the ritual by chance. In St Louis at the National Park where we couldn’t hang tree-grams someone suggested putting one in the ground and I thought that was a great way to write something very personal and have it disintegrate among the roots and travel up through the whole tree. Last Friday there was a planting for a little girl who lost her mother. I told the woman who arranged this for the family about that idea. She and her children arrived at the planting with their own tree-grams cut out in heart and flower shapes to be buried among the roots. Now I will be cutting out shapes to bring to the plantings.
I will keep listening and learning.

Corbin Park isn’t in my neighborhood but I feel but I feel like it is. I spent part of four days there planting trees. This was all set off in May when Diane Sherman and Erez Batat donated three trees to the park and wanted them to be part of the Susie Forest. I suggested that each of them honor someone. There was a great neighborhood get-together and dedication and we talked more trees for the park.

And wow! they wanted more trees. So three were planned for the park and two across from the park in planting strip at Dianne and Erez’s house. And so, my week in the park. Celebrations will come in July.

 I spent four days at the park watching and helping plant trees. I usually arrived early and visited Susie’s 2005 anniversary tree and then found a good spot in the park to read while I kept an eye and an ear out for the sight or sound of the truck. I spent a very short time in the shady spot that I chose one day because it didn’t take long for the black flies to find me. I found the sunnys spots were the best place to read. I enjoyed the sun and the book, watched the children playing, and talked to passersby. It was a great week for an apartment dweller.

The short version is:
1 plane ride – to Sea-Tac
2 states – Oregon and Washington
3 cities with new trees -Portland, Allyn, & Seattle
4 beds-Portland, Puyallup, Seattle, Bothel
5 planting ceremonies – 2 in Seattle
6 trees-Persian Parrotia, Magnolia, 2 Cherries,
Scarlet Oak, and Japanese Maple
7 days
A really big number for the wonderful people that I met and those who helped me participate, drove me around – and baked cookies so I would have room in my suitcase for clothes.

Portland's First Tree

Bicycle Alliance Tree 2011

I didn’t mention the Bicycle Alliance of Washington’s Life Members party in a beautiful apartment overlooking Seattle’s docks.

As my friend Ruth and I walked to her car after the last planting, I remarked that I was feeling very hyper and high as a kite and that tree planting did that to me. “I noticed,” she said.

After being high on trees for a week I’ve needed a little down time, but I’m gearing up for the last of the trees for this planting season. Soon it will be time to plan for the fall plantings and a longer trip.

Last week I attended and helped with a record tree planting – thirteen. It was also my first time helping people plant seedlings. Residents at AscendA , A Sober Community here in Spokane recieved twelve seedlings at the Arbor Day celebration at the arboretum. They met me at the Urban Forestry and Susie Forest booth and after hearing my story, they wanted their trees to be part of the Susie Forest. I went to the community to help and, I hope, to teach them about tree planting and care. The owners also brought a small tree they dug up from their yard which we also planted even though no one knows what kind of a tree it is. I made one small tree-gram for each tree and gave them larger ones to put their dreams and wishes. These we planted with the trees. Three of the trees were dedicated to friends who were not able to overcome the problems in their lives. It was a wonderful experience.
But now, how do I deal on my maps with so many small trees in one area. I thought about putting one marker for all of them because I didn’t remember which type of tree was where. Then I decided that that wasn’t fair to these little trees or to the people who worked so hard to plant them. This afternoon I’m heading back to AscendA with a map and I will get every tree in its proper spot – all thirteen!

A tree planting trip is coming up. There will be two states, four beds, five tree plantings, six trees and planes, trains, automobiles, buses and shoe leather. I have piles in the livingroom of tree planting materials – tree-grams, bookmarks, laminated bookmarks, business cards, brochures, pictures, and – whew, luckily no cookies. My friend Ruth and her daughter Heather made the cookies.
I have two suitcases out. After packing all my “tree stuff” in the smaller one, will there by room for any clothes? That is my problem, how few clothes can I get by with? I have to keep my priorities straight and just take the important stuff -tree stuff. So Thursday I’m off to Portland, the Kitsap peninsula, and Seattle. I’ll let you know which suitcase comes along with me and how I make out with my final decision.

This should have happened sooner. Yesterday afternoon I went to the grand opening of the Neighborwoods program to plant three Susie Forest trees. Then I spied a group of bicyclists coming across the street and in the midst were three bicycles with trailers carrying the trees. After all the tree plantings for the Susie, the bicyclist’s forest, it’s about time for an appropriate delivery. I loved it! The base of each tree rested in the trailer, the trunk was propped on a plastic barrel and the branches and leaves waved proudly in the rear.

The planting site, which just lost its asphalt covering, was only ready for one tree. So we planted the tulip tree and the linden and hornbeam will have to wait. It was a fun planting.