Adopt - A - Tree

By Stephen E. Morton

11-24-99

There has been a recent master plan drawn up in White Plains, NY to integrate a private property being used as a hospital with a community's need for additional open park space. The plan is to develop a percentage of it as retail including a possible hotel as well as create a park-like setting for the people of the city. Preceding the formal unveiling of the plan was an enormous amount of debate by the public and politicians as to whether the city should buy the existing property and create an open space park, add retail, or leave it as it is.

As I walked the grounds, I began to notice that it would take a major tree and shrub planting drive in order to form natural sound barriers and aesthetic enhancements that may bring the costs of this plan up too high. Since the debate was so spirited on both sides, I felt there may be a need to bring both the private and public sector together for a positive cause: an adopt a tree program.

Unlike a traditional "plant a tree" program in which you would buy, dedicate and leave, this idea of adopting would enable the adopter(s) to not only buy and plant but maybe maintain the sight. This could be accomplished by the painting of a bench nearby, upkeep of litter as in the "adopt a highway" program or simply the initial feeding and pruning as it gets older.

A program like this could bring about a community spirit in which young and old alike can come together, schools can teach about the various trees and shrubs. Businesses can do their part by maybe adopting tree/shrub plots (minus those annoying blue metal signs).

All in all, this could be a worthwhile project that would bring enjoyment and lasting beauty for decades to come and also have the public leave their mark in a positive way for the next millennium!