Like an old-fashioned barn-raising illustrates, it is sometimes easier to accomplish a large project in a short time if there are many willing hands.  Additionally, collaboration with other community partners helps both Extension and the communities it serves, both to reach common goals and to accomplish projects much more quickly.

Earlier this month, Kenton County Cooperative Extension Horticulture collaborated with seven different community organizations to plant trees on the site of its new branch office. Five hundred trees were installed in less than 3 hours. This was not an ordinary reforestation project! Kenton County’s new branch office was constructed on a previously forested lot, but in the process of site preparation and building construction, many trees were removed.  Since Extension teaches wise stewardship of natural resources, one of the ways to accomplish this is to showcase reforestation and the use of native plants in a real-life, urban situation; this project was just the first of many teaching projects in this regard. Community partners who collaborated on this project included DHL Express, the Kenton County Conservation District, Kenton County Parks and Recreation, SnapEd, the Northern Kentucky Urban Forestry Council, the Northern Kentucky Master Gardeners Association and Taking Root, a greater Cincinnati-area reforestation group.  The common goals served by this project are a great example of collaborating to achieve a shared purpose:  DHL’s global goal is for employees to annually plant 1 million trees; one of the Northern Kentucky Urban Forestry Council’s goal is to reforest areas that previously had trees removed; Taking Root’s goal is to plant more than 2 million trees in the Cincinnati Tri-state; the Conservation District’s mission is to promote sound management of natural areas in the county; the Master Gardeners serve the community through horticulture, and so forth.  Extension had not partnered before with Taking Root or DHL, so it now has relationships with two great new groups.

Each organization collaborated in different ways.   All provided volunteers to help with the planting. The majority of trees were donated by the Northern Kentucky Urban Forestry Council and the Kenton County Conservation District, with a few purchased by the Extension office itself. Taking Root’s website added this event’s tree count. DHL assisted with publicity—WCPO-tv sent out a reporter to cover the morning.

Another goal this project helped reach is to expose more people to what Extension has to offer. The property is quite noticeable since it sits on a well-travelled street across from one of the busiest libraries in the state.  Library staff report that patrons regularly ask what is going on across the street and are pleased to hear that trees are being re-introduced to the site. There were 26 volunteers for the tree-planting; only a few knew about our new office beforehand, and 10 of them had not dealt with UK Extension before at all.   One of the DHL volunteers lives only a short distance from the new office, and will be eagerly watching the new trees.  

The very first instruction at the new Extension office occurred at this event. Participants received training in the proper way to plant a tree, something not even many landscapers do correctly. They learned that all trees used in this project are native to the area, grown from local seed. They learned about tree tubes, and aftercare of young trees.

We want the community to grow along with us!