Arbor Week Tree Plant at Atfalati Park

#1 - Volunteers needed. April 9th, 2001, a hundred or so Tualatin residents gathered at Atfalati park to help plant 9,296 trees in the back area of the park in celebration of Arbor Day. This was one of three planting events that Tualatin will hold this week.

#2 - Safety first. Chanda Stone, the Operations Volunteer Specialist for the city of Tualatin, talks to the huddled volunteers about the general rules, and safety concerns for tree planting activities before they get to work.

#3 - Hi-ho, hi-ho, off to work they go. Volunteers stroll down the windy path that leads them straight to

 their designated planting areas in the back of the park. 

#4 - Roots of Tualatin. Native trees and plants are unloaded and put near the areas they will be planted by the volunteers, young and old, who sacrificed their Saturday morning to lend a hand. 

#5 - Home sweet home. Kids haul tools and plants while adults direct traffic down to the areas where they will be showing the plants their new homes. 

#6 - Flags mark the spot. Previously cleared, the area was marked with different colored flags to determine where each type of plant/tree should go. Quick lessons on how deep to dig are given by parents so that the eager kids can take over.

#7 - These pants were clean, once. A local pack of Cub Scouts was one of the most eager groups to get down in the dirt.

#8 - History in the making. After some planting has been done, a small group went to the front of the park to help City Council President Chris Barhyte plant the Famous and Historic Tree for the year. Tualatin, Oregon has been part of Tree City USA for 24 years. The Tree City USA program recognizes communities who play an active role in urban and community forestry programs. 

#9 - Ta-Da! A young boy looks at the now empty pots of the 9,296 new trees that were planted. He revels in the success that he and the other volunteers took part in. 

#10 - That hits the spot. Donuts, cake and hot chocolate await the cold, hungry, accomplished volunteers. The kids were the happiest to receive the "award" for all their hard work, while the adults received free mugs and coupons for blueberry plants. The snacks, mugs and blueberry plants were provided by companies like Donut Land, Starbucks, REI and a local nursery.