2021 Stewardship Week: "Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities"
Welcome to 2021 Stewardship Week, which starts this Sunday, April 25, and runs through Sunday, May 2. This year's theme is "Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities".
This year the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), who hosts the national Stewardship Week every year, chose to focus this year's theme on the lungs of our land -- TREES! -- and how they impact the health of our local communities.
There's never been a better time to celebrate healthy tree ecosystems. Arbor Day lands on Friday, April 30th, when we plant trees and take stock of our incredible woodland resources. Plus, after the last year, taking a deep breath of fresh Spring air feels like a gift. Meanwhile, wildfires, pollution and food deserts continue to deeply impact community health.
When we foster healthy tree ecosystems, those same trees have this funny thing of giving back the 'love' many times over. For example, do you know the amazing powers of a single tree?
- One mature tree pumps out enough oxygen for 4 people each DAY.
- That same mature tree in 1 day can "upload" 150 gallons of water into the atmosphere.
- One apple tree -- which can be planted in even the tightest urban lot -- can yield 15-20 bushels of delicious apples at harvest.
Students are a great place to 'seed' the importance of healthy trees and communities. For our conservation districts, teachers, and home schoolers, NACD has created a wealth of FREE tree health educational materials and activities in honor of Stewardship Week, which you can access here.
MACD has also partnered with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) to help spread the 'tree love' about this year's Stewardship Week. Throughout this week, MACD will be posting "tree tips" like those listed above, which MDARD will be reposting to their social feeds. And MDARD's Fresh From the Field podcast interviewed our very own "Tree Guy", Eric Brandon, District Forester for Alcona and Iosco Conservation Districts.
If you haven't heard Eric's delightful and deeply informative weekly radio show "Annie & The Tree Guy", be sure to check out his live-streamed show at 7pm Thursdays on WXTF 97.9 FM. He's sure to have a "budding" good show for Stewardship Week this year! And the music can't be beat, either.
Thanks for all you do, Conservation District Employees, Board Members, Advocates, Partners, and community supporters! We're all about healthy trees and serving our communities. But we can't do it alone: when we support healthy trees together, we help make our communities healthier together, too.