The Fargo Park District, Legacy Children’s Foundation, SCHEELS and the Moorhead Dairy Queen are partnering in a collaborative tree planting project this month. More than a hundred volunteers will join on Tuesday, May 23 for The Giving Tree Project, a shared effort to enhance the urban tree canopy in parks across the Fargo community.

With Emerald Ash Bohrer (EAB) confirmed in Moorhead, the Fargo Park District is actively working to help slow the spread of the invasive species in parks and green spaces. An imperative piece of EAB mitigation is planting and diversifying park tree species. The Giving Tree Project will play a large role in that effort.

“The Giving Tree Project will assist our team in keeping our parks and green spaces healthy and viable in the wake of a possible Emerald Ash Bohrer infestation,” says Fargo Park District Forester, Sam DeMarais. “But it will also benefit the entire community as research shows that tree cover and green spaces are crucial to the well-being of people who live in urban areas. We are thankful for our partners and volunteers and their generosity.”

Volunteers from Legacy Children’s Foundation, SCHEELS and the Moorhead Dairy Queen will join the Fargo Park District Forestry Team to plant trees at Osgood School, along the Milwaukee Trail and in Timbercreek Park. While this is the first year of the project, all partners anticipate it to continue.

“We are thrilled to be a part of such an important project and effort in our local community. We hope that the Giving Tree Project inspires other organizations and individuals to join hands to reforest our community together,” states Mary Jean Dehne, Executive Director of Legacy Children’s Foundation.

If you are looking for individual or group volunteer opportunities in outdoor conservation and restoration projects, please visit FargoParks.com/volunteer or call 701-499-6060 for more information.