Talking Trees with Peggy

Tree Trust donor and Landscape Services customer Peggy Booth knows a thing or two about trees. She has been instrumental in diversifying Minnesota’s tree canopy. In a state with an affinity for the silver maple, Peggy enjoys the shade of her majestic swamp white oak. While the oak tree may be the centerpiece of Peggy’s personal canopy, her yard boasts a stunning variety of trees, including a white cedar, a Kentucky coffee tree, a catalpa, and a well-established hackberry slowly twisting towards the sun. Peggy purchased her oak tree from Tree Trust in 1995 through a partnership with the University of Minnesota that subsidized the cost of trees to make them affordable to residents.

The Trouble with Monoculture

Monoculture is easy to see, and it’s no fault of the silver maple—a tree very popular for boulevards due to its quick growth. For years, Minnesota city planners opted to plant one variety of tree per neighborhood, mainly for aesthetics and ease of pruning. In the wake of the Dutch elm disease epidemic spanning the 1960s and 1970s, Peggy saw firsthand the devasting effects of monoculture and got to work promoting tree diversity. Peggy shared, “In the mid-1970s, I did the first boulevard reforestation plan for the City of Minneapolis.” Her work as a city planner led her to question the policy of monoculture and push for greater tree diversity. While mapping out a plan for the Whittier neighborhood, she discovered it would be 60% linden trees. Peggy took her concerns to the Minneapolis Park Board.

Shaping Public Policy — Talking Trees

According to Peggy, “The Minneapolis City Council wanted to have more tree protection policies, but trees are really the jurisdiction of the Park Board.” Tree protection policies, including the incorporation of diverse planting initiatives, are critical in stewarding a robust tree canopy. Peggy continued, “The Park Board and the City Council agreed to create a Tree Advisory Committee. I was one of the founding members.” The Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee (MNSTAC) was founded in 1974. The group was first composed of Peggy, Don Willeke (one of Tree Trust’s founders), and other citizens and tree care professionals. Peggy filled various roles in the organization, including co-chair, until her retirement two years ago. MNSTAC continues to advise government agencies on how to preserve, protect, and expand Minnesota’s forests. Today, Tree Trust’s Director of Community Forestry, Karen Zumach, serves as MNSTAC president.

A Diverse Canopy

Peggy’s personal treescape is a microcosm of diversity, reflecting the wide variety of disease-resistant trees available through our tree sales. In 2006, Tree Trust first partnered with the City of Minneapolis to offer 1,500 affordable trees to residents to plant in their yards. This year we sold over 3,100 discounted trees to Minneapolis homeowners. Since 2006, Tree Trust has increased our tree distributions to include 13 additional cities. Sydney Shaaf, City Trees Program Coordinator at Minneapolis Health Department stated, “Tree Trust has such a great reputation with our community members and other cities across the metro. We are so grateful to be partnering with them and couldn’t do this much to increase tree canopy on private property in Minneapolis without them!”

Transforming Landscapes

This year, when Peggy decided to transform her yard, she reached out to Tree Trust Landscape Services. It was important to Peggy to incorporate her trees into the overall design when considering construction. Our Landscape Services team couldn’t agree more and worked with Peggy to design and install  wooden boardwalks through her beautiful shade gardens, linking the city sidewalk to the front stoop and side deck and wrapping around to the garage in the back. Peggy loved the “thoughtful and well-structured design” that “nestled in the landscape, trees, and plantings seamlessly.” Tree Trust Landscape Services was happy to add increased accessibility to  Peggy’s stunning outdoor space.

Planting for the Future

Looking at Peggy’s mature oak tree, it’s hard to imagine that she purchased it in a five-gallon pot. Her oak tree is a perfect example of how just one tree can make a real difference. Imagine if we all planted just one tree. Tree Trust is grateful for Peggy’s work in the community supporting—as she likes to call it—“tree stuff.” For more information about Tree Trust Landscape Services and exciting project reveals please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.