Pictures from the 2012 Tree Planting

Friends of The Moshassuck has been planting trees at Collyer Field in Providence for over 10 years. The site is a field of invasive alien Japanese knotweed, and our planting is an effort to eliminate the invasive alien weed by growing big and tall trees to shade it out. Preliminary results suggest that the effort is starting to bear fruit, and under the earliest plantings (and biggest trees) the knotweed is showing the effects of shading. We believe this is a community-friendly, totally non-toxic, way to deal with one of the most invasive plants in Southern New England and would be happy to help any local organizations seeking to restore areas damaged by knotweed.

We start by digging holes for the six new tree additions for the year.

We meet and greet, give thanks to the perfect weather, and discuss the trees as we take turns planting our trees in the newly dug holes.

We verify the proper depth for each tree and add compost to kickstart it's growth in a new locale.

We water the trees with water from the Moshassuck River nearby, and then clean up the field for any obstacles that will prevent easy access to the trees during their first summer in a permanent home.

We spend a moment looking back at all the trees planted in previous years and care for those who could use a little extra help for the upcoming summer.

And hope this year's knotweed growth isn't quite as full when it reaches its peak foliage.

Pictures from previous tree planting events are available here.