Oak Lane Community Action Association (OLCAA)
of East Oak Lane
Oak Lane Tree Tenders
News from the Urban Forest
by Charlie Philips, President of Oak Lane Tree Tenders
Retrospective
Since 2014 Oak Lane Tree Tenders has planted 96 trees in the neighborhood. This includes nine trees at the PASSi campus at 6926 Old York Road, site of the wonderful Snow Ball winter party thrown by OLCAA. Have you noticed the wonderful mural on the face of their building?
Look this spring at the parking lot of the Refuge Evangelical Baptist Church across from the Oak Lane Library for the twelve white flowering crabapple trees we planted with members of that church in the fall of 2016.
Just up Oak Lane, across from the firehouse, are four new trees on Ellwood School's sidewalk. A few doors down the street from the firehouse, in front of a new child daycare, are four trees planted a couple of years ago.
The Oak Lane Library has been the recipient of about fifteen trees over the years. Last fall there were three overgrown yews that obscured the sidewalk, and we replaced them with six smaller shrubs.
Want a tree for your yard this spring?
Treephiilly.org is your best bet for up to two free trees to plant in your yard.
Once you access their website, click in the "Registration is open for the Spring 2018 Yard Tree Giveaway Program" box. Scroll down to the Saturday, April 21st date, and click on the "Penn State Alumni Community Yard Tree Giveaway" link (runs from 9AM-noon).
The location is 2901 W. Hunting Park Avenue--less than five miles away! Sign up for one or two trees.
TreePhilly has fruit trees--apple, peach, sour cherry. Want winter beauty? Choose witchhazel, which blooms in February! (See the March 17 picture at right of the one in our backyard!)
Oak Lane Tree Tenders will have STREET trees this fall for those who sign up before April 30. Have a friendly Tree Tender visit you and sign you up. Email us at cphilips@temple.edu.
Join us by contacting us at that email to find our meeting dates and places. Our next workday is Saturday, April 14, for cleanup at the Oak Lane Library and Ellwood School from 9 AM to 2 PM.
We welcome your check, made out to "Oak Lane Tree Tenders," to help keep East Oak Lane green and leafy! Mail it to Sharon Dennison, 6701 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia, PA 19126.
We are soliciting $15 memberships, but any amount---more or less--is welcome.
Tree Tenders to Plant Shrubs at Library
by Charlie Philips
Oak Lane Tree Tenders, working closely with Friends of the Oak Lane Library and
the Library staff, will plant shrubs and perennial flowers in a 30 foot plot at the
front corner of the Library facing Oak Lane in October. Overgrown yews will be removed and replaced with shrubs 3-5 feet tall and perennial flowers. Recommendations were solicited from both groups and Library patrons.
For the planting date, email cphilips@temple.edu. Contributions may be sent
by check made out to "Friends of the Oak Lane Library" and mailed to:
D. Mora, 821 Oak Lane, Phila. PA 19126.
News from the Urban Forest
by Charlie Philips
Oak Lane Tree Tenders planted 20 trees on April 22, 2017 at eight locations.
The rain held off on the evening of July 17 for a pruning workshop outside the Oak Lane Library, attended by Oak Lane Tree Tenders and others. Sally McCabe, our neighbor and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Community gardening leader, taught us the proper use of tools and when to cut.
We sold 140 chrysanthemums to neighbors for delivery in early September as a
fundraiser. Thank you, neighbors, for bringing this over the top! We sold geraniums
in the spring.
Tree Tenders will plant six trees on Saturday, November 18, including a few at
Ellwood School. You are invited to help plant. We will assemble at
6605 Lawnton Avenue at 9AM. A tasty lunch follows the planting.
Get updates by email: cphilips@temple.edu. Support the planting of trees in
Oak Lane. Send a check made out to "Oak Lane Tree Tenders" to:
M. Gendron, OLTT 6131 Fairhill St. Phila., PA 19120.
© 2018 Oak Lane Community Action Association (OLCAA) - Striving to build a better neighborhood