Chestnut Hill Tree Tenders at work: (from left) Christopher Sohnly, BJ Hauswald and Jean McCoubrey, its Tree Tenders co-chair.

by Monika Hemmers

The Chestnut Hill Tree Tenders conducted their annual tree check last week. All trees that were planted by the group in the fall of 2018 or the spring of 2019 were checked for growth, crown development, condition of the pit, weeds, trash and moisture.

Although there has been plenty of rain in the last month, of the 11 trees planted , only one was adequately watered. At this point in a young tree’s life, water is critical to promote growth and prevent disease. The lack of water can put stress on the tree. If you have received a tree through the Tree Tenders program in the last year, please make sure it is receiving adequate water; it’s a matter of life or death.

Chestnut Hill Tree Tenders are a group of local volunteers (there are many throughout the city) who, together with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, have a goal to plant one million trees in Philadelphia and its surrounding areas.

The Tree Tenders’ next tree planting is on Nov. 16. There are currently 12 trees in the pipeline to be planted.

For those who would like to have a street tree planted, the next opportunity will be in the spring of 2020. To apply, please fill out an application online at PHSOnline.org, or an application can be downloaded from the Chestnut Hill Community Association website at ChestnutHill.org

To have a tree planted in the spring of 2020, all applications must be submitted no later than Dec. 1 to the CHCA office at 8434 Germantown Ave., or emailed to anne@chestnuthill.org

For any questions regarding tree planting, please contact either Jean McCoubrey at 215-913-9027, or Monika Hemmers at 215-284-3772.