RETREET BLOG

RETREET redefines disaster relief by engaging communities to replant lost trees.


 
OKC RETREET
March 28+29, 2015

We held our first conversation about OKC RETREET eighteen months ago, after our partners at Texas A&M Forest Service suggested we reach out to Oklahoma Forestry Services to setup a planting in the wake of an EF5 tornado struck Moore on May 20, 2013. The devastation had made international news: 24 lives lost, 1,150 homes destroyed, 4,000 trees swept away, and an estimated $2 billion in total damages. RETREET was eager to help our neighbors and excited to work in a new state.

SWIPE MAP OF MOORE - BEFORE & AFTER THE TORNADO

SWIPE MAP OF MOORE - BEFORE & AFTER THE TORNADO

Moore needed some time to heal, so we decided to wait a year, until the next planting season. In Charlotte, North Carolina, at the 2014 Partners in Community Forestry Conference last November, our Executive Director sat down with representatives of Oklahoma Forestry Services and Arbor Day Foundation to discuss the need for trees in Moore. It was the start of an amazing partnership. Together, we decided that both OKC RETREET and Oklahoma Community Tree Recovery Campaign, a newly launched project of Arbor Day Foundation, would take place the closing weekend of Oklahoma Arbor Week. Our national partner ACTrees suggested we reach out to Tree Bank Foundation, well-respected local nonprofit organization that would be a great resource for both events.

THE TREE BANK FOUNDATION, ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION, RETREET, & OKLAHOMA FORESTRY SERVICES

THE TREE BANK FOUNDATION, ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION, RETREET, & OKLAHOMA FORESTRY SERVICES

With dates selected and a team of partners at hand, RETREET set out to raise funds for the event and collaborate with local organizations. Once again, ArborGen offered to provide $2,500 towards the purchase of trees, allowing us to offer larger specimens to each family. JCPenney sent $2,000 in support of general operations and The Home Depot approved a grant request for $1,350 of supplies, including mulch, shovels, pruners, gloves, pickaxes, and coolers. Hampton Inn & Suites gave generously reduced rates to our RETREETers.

Home Depot.jpg

Enthusiasm for OKC RETREET at the local level was palpable. Numerous entities, including City of Moore and SERVE MOORE wanted to be involved, and a whole host of volunteers offered to come out to plant trees. At the beginning of March, notifications were sent to residents of Moore regarding the availability of trees and, within three weeks, 193 requests were received, 2.5 times the 80 requests we expected to be able to fulfill. OKIE was contacted two weeks before the plantings so that all utilities could be marked and a representative from Oklahoma Forestry Services and its partners visited with each recipient thereafter to ensure that every tree would be planted in the right place.

MEETING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS

MEETING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Two days before OKC RETREET was set to begin, another tornado hit Moore. Though much less powerful than the previous one, enough damage was done that relief efforts had to begin all over again. Trees and RETREETers were en route and everything was lined up for the weekend. It was up to the City of Moore to decide whether or not to proceed.

After serious consideration, and with teams of volunteers cleaning up debris in multiple neighborhoods, the locals resolved to see OKC RETREET come to fruition and not allow the new storm to postpone our plans. Recovery efforts from one tornado would occur alongside relief efforts from another. #MooreStrong!

DAMAGE FROM THE MARCH 25, 2015, TORNADO

DAMAGE FROM THE MARCH 25, 2015, TORNADO

On March 28, 2015, a beautiful Saturday afternoon, 22 RETREETers were joined by 50 local volunteers in Veterans' Memorial Park. After a short welcome from city representatives, a tree planting demonstration, and lunch provided by Moore Beautiful, the assembly broke into small groups and planted a total of 162 trees in Moore, an even mix of 15-gallon Shumard Oaks and 7-gallon Redbuds, Oklahoma's state tree. The locations included Veterans' Memorial Park, the Community Renewal Center, and 78 home sites. All plantings were completed within 7 hours; a truly inspirational effort. Volunteers converged on the Community Renewal Center for a delicious dinner following the planting, sponsored by Silver Star Construction and whipped up by RETREET's own Daniel Avazpour.

DINNER AT MOORE COMMUNITY RENEWAL CENTER

DINNER AT MOORE COMMUNITY RENEWAL CENTER

Several TV stations showed up to cover the event and, that evening, while RETREETers enjoyed the nightlife of Bricktown, our story ran on most major networks in OKC. Over the following two days, affiliate stations all over the country picked it up.

FOX 25 - OKC

FOX 25 - OKC

ABC 5 - OKC

ABC 5 - OKC

Sunday morning, RETREETers gathered at Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. They were given a personal tour of the grounds by Oklahoma Forestry Services and then taken through the museum. After that sobering experience, the group went for a bike ride along the Oklahoma River and on some of its great bike paths. It was a perfect ending to a fulfilling and fantastic weekend.

RIDING BICYCLES AROUND OKC

RIDING BICYCLES AROUND OKC

RETREET would like to thank everyone who was involved with OKC RETREET in any way. We look forward to our next outing in the area and hope to return this fall. To help us plant more trees in Moore, consider SPROUTING A TREE!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO ALBUM OF OKC RETREET

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO ALBUM OF OKC RETREET

 


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.29

What a big week for RETREET! Did you make some time to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day? What better way than to plant a tree?

On Arbor Day, we announced an exciting new partnership with RECOVER Brands, our exclusive apparel supplier. Made out of recycled cotton and plastic bottles, our awesome t-shirts are now available through their website in both green and blue. PURCHASE A SHIRT and support our planting efforts!

We also shared an awesome film about Arbor Day that puts trees in a new context. Lastly, a film in which a professional cyclist pulls a bus through the streets of Bangalore.

PARTNERSHIP WITH RECOVER

PARTNERSHIP WITH RECOVER

ARBOR DAY

ARBOR DAY

BICYCLIST PULLS BUS IN BANGALORE

BICYCLIST PULLS BUS IN BANGALORE

 


EARTH DAY AND ARBOR DAY
SAPLINGS
 

Did you receive a sapling from RETREET or another organization for Earth Day or Arbor Day? Not sure what to do with it? Read the instructions below, provided by our friends at Tree Town USA!

Sapling

Plant your tree in a small pot, 1-3 gallons in size. Make sure to use good soil with lots of organic matter content. The richer the soil, the more nutrients the tree will have to grow!

Place the potted tree in an outdoor location where it gets moderate to full sun.

Water your tree every day for two weeks. Make sure the water drains. This will help your tree get acclimated to its new environment.

After two weeks, only water your tree every 2-3 days. This will make your tree grow roots in search of water, allowing it to form a good rootball in the soil.

If you live in a place where it gets really hot over the summer, start watering your tree every day again when the heat starts. If your tree starts to wilt, it needs water!

Plant your tree in the ground next winter. Regularly water your tree for a year while it is getting established. 

 


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.28

Some of our favorite links from the past week:

The Bamboo Bikes Initiative in Ghana teaches women how to build bicycles using resources that are available locally.

Qatar has epic plans to turn the desert into a lush forest.

Lance Armstrong give us a sneak peak into his new gig, fixing flats.

Ghost Forests allow us to know precisely when an earthquake struck.

Arbor Day and Earth Day are coming up fast! Lots of cause to celebrate. Get on your bikes and ride!