My service learning project began at the University City Green Office located at 4013 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Both the University City Green Office and The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society organized the project. The project area spanned throughout streets in University City. The University City Green Office and the PHS mission is to educate and inspire people of all ages to become successful and environmentally responsible gardeners by advancing the art and science of horticulture.
The goal of my service learning project is to identify how many trees certain properties have, where they are, what species they are, how big they are, the condition of the tree and to determine if the trees need maintenance or immediate attention. The inventory also helps pin down an action plan and provides figures for a budget for continuing care. These facts are then needed to search for funding sources for new trees. .
The first 2 visits to the City Green Office were training sessions. These sessions helped explain how to inventory the trees properly and why it is important for us to conduct the inventory. The inventory entailed many small aspects that needed to be found. The group would receive a map with a block of houses to inventory. The trees that were being inventoried were located on the strip of land next to the street curbs. The first thing we did was locate the property on the map then place a dot in that location and number it. We then noted the location, diameter, condition, touching utilities, height, species, street, and address of the trees. The agency needed all the volunteers they could get so our support was greatly appreciated to inventory all the trees in the University City area. .
Trees reduce the need for excessive air conditioning and heating, and help clean our air and help us to heal from illnesses faster. Trees also absorb carbon monoxide, which nearly 25% of Americans produce, which in turn cause global warming.