Parks and People


	Our October 2007 Urban Wood Waste workshop drew a crowd from all over the country.


	Urban Wood Waste Workshop participants listen intently as presenters share strategies for capitalizing on this valuable resource.

	Read what the Baltimore Examiner and the Daily Record had to say about our tree sale!

	View the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for RPM trees.

	Why plant a Tree? Top 10 Reasons Trees increase property values. Trees help reduce energy costs. The use of native trees can decrease the need for fertilizers and pesticides. Trees trap airborne particulates-reducing pollution, improving air quality and making it easier to breathe! Trees mitigate noise pollution. Trees promote feelings of well-being & relaxation. Trees tie up toxins that would otherwise end up in the Chesapeake Bay. Trees provide important habitat for birds such the Raven and the Oriole. Trees make good neighbors. Trees can be handed down to the next generation. Click for tree planting care and instructions for urban and non-urban environments.


	We pulled off our inaugural spring tree sale with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers!


	Volunteers help customers load their purchases.


	Our youngest customer of the day was pleased with his Chickasaw Plum shrub

Social Enterprises

Through social enterprise ventures, Parks & People will address organizational capacity building needs, encourage a more entrepreneurial and self-sustaining culture at Parks & People, and further the mission of the organization by creating social and environmental value for Baltimore’s urban communities. Through our social ventures we anticipate providing comprehensive training in natural resource management and connecting trainees to permanent positions with our corporate and government partners. The overall goal is to build a portfolio of projects that are supportive in their relation to Parks & People’s mission.

The Tree Sale is one of Parks & People's social enterprise endeavors.

The Mission of Parks & People’s Social Enterprise Program

The recent launch of our tree brokering business and our future plans for Chesapeake Trees, an urban tree nursery, as well as an urban wood waste reutilization venture and environmental mitigation and carbon trading projects will catalyze a more entrepreneurial culture at the Parks & People Foundation; a culture that will ultimately enable the organization to become more self- sustaining. The overall goal is to build a portfolio of projects that are supportive in their relation to the organization’s mission, but different in their product and execution; thus minimizing risk through diversification. Through social ventures, Parks & People is addressing organizational capacity building needs and creating social, economic and environmental value for the communities we serve.

Major Accomplishments to date:

Tree Brokering:

1. Obtained our tree broker/plant dealer license through the state of Maryland Department of Agriculture.

2. Signed a partnership agreement with RPM Ecosystems to exclusively sell their unique tree nursery stock within the Baltimore metropolitan region.

3. Convened our first meeting of the Parks & People Foundation Social Venture Advisory Committee.

4. Completed our first annual Spring Tree Sale: 520 trees sold: approximately $19,000 in revenue generated.

Tree Nursery:

Over the past year, Parks & People has worked diligently to identify and cultivate a partnership with a land partner who will loan, lease or donate a parcel of land for our tree nursery operation. Ultimately Parks & People may grow to the scale that multiple nursery sites would be required.

Our tree nursery is appealing because of the social, economic and environmental benefits that it would provide: jobs, educational opportunities, community garden space and cleaner air and water are among the most important benefits.

Chesapeake Trees will be a wholesale tree nursery specializing in native tree species that thrive in urban environments in the mid-Atlantic. Our mission is to create a thriving, sustainable business that will increase the quality and quantity of urban forests in the Mid-Atlantic region by offering high quality, hardy species to municipalities, developers, landscapers, retail nurseries and garden centers. All profits from Chesapeake Trees will flow back to the Parks & People Foundation and will used primarily for community forestry plantings in Baltimore City and research and education to benefit our nation’s urban forests. Chesapeake Trees will grow approximately 6,000 native and hardy trees per year specializing in urban tree species. Trees will be grown in containers and sold at a 2 – 2 ½ inch caliper.

Wood Waste Utilization:

In conjunction with the United States Forest Service, Parks & People Foundation is co-sponsoring webcast seminars, and in the process, reaching hundreds of participants on the topic of wood waste utilization and business planning. These events have been designed to build on the enthusiasm and momentum that was created during our October 2007 urban wood waste venture forum held at the University of Baltimore and sponsored by the United States Forest Service. Our goal is to build a network of information around this topic as well as a network of entrepreneurs who will apply creative solutions towards the challenge of productive use of urban wood waste.

The Parks & People Foundation is in discussions with local public and private organizations about a regional effort to consolidate wood waste for reutilization efforts. Parks & People is interested in wood waste re-use as a creative and sustainable solution to the increasingly expensive and energy-intensive problem of disposing of wood waste.