14 | July/August 2015
F
or Arbor Day this year, Recruiter/Trainer
Joe Shaw decided he wanted to plant a
tree at his daughters' new school: Mulberry
Elementary in Milford, Ohio.
Because Shaw just moved his family back
to Cincinnati last fall, this was the first time
he coordinated an Arbor Day-related event
at Mulberry.
"I shared my ideas with two teachers who
eventually helped me plan the event," Shaw
says, adding he then worked with the principal
to pick the perfect spot for the tree on school
grounds.
"We made sure to avoid areas to where
school officials are planning long-term expan-
sion of the building," he explains. "We wanted
to ensure the tree would not be ultimately
disturbed or removed."
Shaw also performed a soil analysis onsite to
determine which species would be best-suited
for the space available. He decided on a swamp
white oak.
"That species will also not be affected by
emerald ash borer (EAB) or Asian long-horned
beetle (ALB) in the future," Shaw says.
Davey's Cincinnati CLS territory donated
the tree Shaw planted on Arbor Day. Before
Arbor Day arrived, Shaw dug a hole for the tree
and prepped the site in order for his planting
demonstration to go smoothly.
During his visit to the school, Shaw instruct-
ed the third grade class on proper tree planting,
as he picked up clumps of soil to explain why
it's ideal for swamp white oaks, then allowed
students to help backfill the
tree once it was in place.
Shaw recalls, chuckling,
"One student asked me
what the burlap around the
root ball was for. Another
kid said, 'It's a blanket to
keep the tree warm.'"
Shaw also presented to kindergarten
students and the third graders about the
importance of trees and their benefits. All
children who participated received proper
planting information to take home, as well as
northern red oak saplings—a Davey donation
to support the Greater Cincinnati region's
Taking Root initiative that is working to
Smart Planting
Idea submitted by: Joe Shaw, recruiter/trainer
Kent State University – Salem students
participate in proper climbing
demonstrations on university grounds.
plant 2 million trees by 2020.
"I encouraged students to have their
parents register each sapling once it's planted
so Taking Root can keep an accurate count,"
Shaw says, explaining the tree plantings'
purpose is to replace trees lost from EAB and
ALB—infestations Mulberry's new swamp
white oak shall never encounter.
Third graders enthusias-
tically help backfill dirt
during an Arbor Day tree
planting at their school.
Joe Shaw explains how and why he selected a swamp white oak tree to plant at Mulberry
Elementary School.
