With the assistance of The Tree People, four Aleppo pines, six California pepper trees, three New Zealand tea trees and eight ornamental pear trees were lovingly placed around the campus at Pennekamp on Campus Beautification Day.  Here we watch the members of Cub Scout Pack 759 and their families and friends plant a tree.

First, a deep hole was dug and the tree was inserted.  Once in place, the metal bands were cut and the wooden planks forming the box were removed.

Everyone began lightly filling the hole with dirt.

Then, the roots of the tree were gently loosened from their compacted state.  Once this was accomplished, more dirt and the contents of the fungus packet were added to the soil near the roots.  We were told that trees planted in forests have this fungus occurring naturally in their soil.  But trees in urban areas like at Pennekamp need a little help at first.  By adding the fungus, it will give our tree a better chance to acclimate and thrive.

 Dirt mixed with compost was then used to fill up the tree bed.

A dirt berm was created to help focus the water near the roots of the tree.

More compost was added and then our tree received its first watering!

Each tree had its very own tree naming ceremony.  Cub Scout Pack 759 named this tree "Clay Staples David" in honor of outgoing cubmaster David Schwartz who has devoted many years to this pack.

A huge thank you to Beautification Day organizers Becky Allen, Kim Wilson, and Lisa Petillon who along with Operations VP Debbie Zoppi made this wonderful day possible.  Pennekamp would also like to thank "The Tree People" for their assistance in planting trees all over campus!  Most of all, we thank all of our volunteers who proved the adage "Many hands make light work" is true!

See additional Campus Beautification Day photos!