MassReLeaf Ministry: Planting Trees for Human Justice

The UCC Massachusetts Conference and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/forestry/urban/ have established a partnership to help minister to the physical and mental health, emotional stability and community spirit of people living in deforested urban and blighted areas across the state of Massachusetts This ministry offers churches, working in coordination with their respective municipalities, unique opportunities for real, hands-on projects to improve the quality of our shared environment and the lives of thousands citizens living in the urban centers of Massachusetts for years to come. In particular, by targeting opportunities for local church led tree planting projects within urban and blighted communities throughout Massachusetts, this ministry brings the idea of human environmental justice into the neighborhoods and lives of those most in need in our state.

The Biblical basis for this ministry is found in Genesis (1) ."And God said, see, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. And it was so. God saw everything that he had made and indeed, it was very good," in Luke (2). "We must love our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength and with all our minds" and in Micah (3) . "do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God." So, thank God for the precious natural gifts that have been provided to us and celebrate our responsibility to sustain these gifts through service for the survival of humankind.

•  (1) Genesis 1:29 - Revised Standard Version

•  (2) Luke 10:27, Revised Standard Version

•  (3) Micah 6:8, Revised Standard Version

The Benefits of Healthy Urban Forests

Urban forests are visible signs that a community has a sense of pride and that they have been highly valued by the residents for a long time. The environmental benefits of urban forests are many but they can be summarized as follows:

•  Our forested streets and public parks help define the character of our communities and offer the functional benefits of noise reduction, cooling shade, visual screening, enhanced property values, economic growth, community pride, reduction of crime and recovery from illnesses.

•  Our forests reduce levels of pollutants such as solid particles, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and others that can seriously impact human physical, mental and emotional health negatively.

•  Our forests reduce heating and cooling needs for residential buildings, reduce the "urban heat island effect" (localized heating due to the preponderance of black topped surfaces), reduce rainfall runoff and consequent erosion (thereby improving water quality and quicker re-charge of local aquifers), function as habitat for wildlife and reduce global warming.

MassReLeaf Ministry Activities to Date

During 2003, there were three planned phases to the MassReLeaf Ministry. The first phase of the ministry consisted of establishing a Technical Training and Support Team that is experienced and trained in Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation certified techniques for planting large trees in publicly owned areas. The second phase was the conduct of a major pilot tree planting project by the First Congregational Church in Somerville, to evolve a tree planting project model that can be used later in many urban centers across Massachusetts. The third phase involved the establishment of sufficient funding and planning to support future tree planting projects in twenty-eight Massachusetts urban centers identified by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the U. S. Forest Service.

The MassReLeaf Ministry Technical Training and Support Team was established in March 2003. The team consists of experienced tree planting personnel who have also been trained by professional foresters of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to assist local churches with planning and execution of their tree planting projects.

The Somerville Pilot Tree Planting Project Phase of the MassReLeaf Ministry demonstrated the challenges that can be expected and the resolution techniques that can be successfully applied in future MassReLeaf Ministry tree planting projects in other areas across Massachusetts. On June 14, 2003 twenty-two people from the First Congregational Church of Somerville, the Wellesley Congregational Church, Tufts University and the City of Somerville government successfully planted fifteen 350-pound trees along Powderhouse Boulevard in Somerville, Massachusetts. The City of Somerville was selected for the MassReLeaf Ministry Tree Planting Pilot Project because it is one of the most densely populated cities in Massachusetts and has a highly active population that speaks over fifty different languages and embraces over fifteen different religions. Diversity is a key component of Somerville 's population and culture.

Also, the green spaces in Somerville have been primarily denuded of trees or are populated with mostly older trees, many of which need to be replaced. The MassReLeaf Ministry Somerville Pilot Tree Planting Project planted fifteen large trees which will be maintained by the project for three years in the right of way areas abutting Powderhouse Boulevard, one of the largest, most visible, most well known and most used streets in Somerville .

After the Somerville pilot project was completed, Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt, Interim Senior Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Somerville, and Kerrie Harthan, Pilot Project Leader, said, "This project gave our little congregation a chance to act on our friendly nature and our call to local community involvement and social action. It especially gave us an opportunity to further explore how the Spirit - the wonderful Giver of Life - wants us to live more humbly and respectfully in our tiny, urban corner of Creation." George Ackerson, City Arborist of Somerville, said "the thing that I like about working with church people is they really get things done with little or no fanfare."

Establishment of sufficient funding and planning to support future tree planting projects in twenty-eight Massachusetts urban centers were started by the UCC Massachusetts Conference and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation in 2003. The UCC Massachusetts Conference contributed $40,000 to the State of Massachusetts MassReLeaf Trust Fund, and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation matched the UCC Massachusetts contribution with $40,000 of Federal matching funds approved by the U. S. Forest Service. These funds can be used by local churches in the future to purchase trees for their tree planting projects by contributing matching value in services and materials from their churches, municipalities and other community organizations to conduct a local tree planting project. Also, a number of other funding sources have been identified for future exploration.

MassReLeaf Ministry Current Status

Since completion of the Somerville Pilot Tree Planting Project led by the First Congregational Church of Somerville, other tree planting projects have been successfully completed by the First Congregational Church in Billerica, the First Congregational Church of Fall river, the First Congregational Church in Gardner and the Greater Fall River Council of Churches. 

MassReLeaf Ministry funding grant application forms are available now for your local church to participate in a Fall 2005 or Spring 2006 tree-planting project. The grant application forms can be downloaded from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Website at http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/forestry/urban/urbanGrants.htm.

••• Proposals for Fall 2005 will be due on August 19, 2005 and for 2006 Spring projects will be due on January 20, 2006.

How You Can Participate

If you think your church might be interested in leading a MassReLeaf Ministry tree-planting project, please contact one of the following people who will work with you and members of your church to explore, plan, promote and conduct a tree-planting project in your community:

MACUCC MassReLeaf Ministry Area Representatives

Metro Boston Area-Kerrie Harthan (617-964-1100 x208) or kbharthan@yahoo.com

Northeast Area – Craig Bentley (617-462-2446) or cebentley@verizon.net

Southeast Area - Mary Ann Wordell (508-679-8887) or macwrose@netscape.com

Central Area – Neal Seaborn (781-237-2152) or eseaborn@comcast.net

Western Area – Angie Fowler (413-549-1637) or waveylady754@msn.com

State Wide MassReLeaf Ministry Representatives

MACUCC - Paul Nickerson (508-875-5233 x 236) or nickersonp@macucc.org

DCR - Eric Seaborn (617-626-1468) or eric.seaborn@state.ma.us

MACUCC Technical Support - Neal Seaborn (781-237-2152) or eseaborn@comcast.net)

The MassReLeaf Ministry is an exciting, rewarding and direct-hands-on ministry by local churches that will benefit tens of thousands of the neediest people in Massachusetts for many years to come. We hope your church will lead a Fall 2005 or Spring 2006 MassReLeaf Ministry  project.