Love trees? How to contribute to the #teamtrees campaign in Birmingham
Reading time: 3 minutes
Since October, the internet has been buzzing about #teamtrees. See what the movement is about and how you can make Birmingham even more beautiful by planting a tree.
What is #teamtrees?
Team Trees is a collaborative fundraising effort to plant 20 million trees by January 1, 2020. The fundraiser began as a personal mission of YouTuber MrBeast as a way to celebrate his channel reaching 20 million subscribers.
Since then, the #teamtrees campaign has picked up a lot of traction. In addition to hundreds of grassroots donations, #teamtrees has several high profile donors. Some include:
- Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke donated $1 million and 1 dollars, narrowly beating…
- Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who donated $1 million
- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey donated $350,000
All donations will benefit the Arbor Day Foundation, which pledges to plant one sapling for every dollar donated.
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Why Are Trees Important?
There are a ton of reasons why trees are so important to daily life. For instance;
- Are you a fan of oxygen? Me too! Luckily, trees purify the air so we can breathe the oxygen we like without the carbon dioxide we don’t like.
- Additionally, they protect our drinking water. Since trees act like a sponge, they naturally filter the rainwater that eventually ends up in our glass.
However, there is a lot working against trees. In addition to irresponsible logging programs, the recent California wildfires have burned through millions of trees.
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When is the Best Time to Plant Them in Alabama?
Contrary to popular belief, winter is not a bad time to plant a tree. In fact, late fall/early winter is the best time to plant in Alabama. Since they are dormant in this kind of weather, they do not require as much maintenance. However if you plant in the summer, the tree will require a lot of water to grow. Additionally, the extreme Alabama heat can damage saplings.
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Support #teamtrees by Planting a Tree in Birmingham
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Ancient proverb
It’s easy to plant a tree in Birmingham! Just follow these three steps:
- 1. Take this short quiz by Ruffner Mountain to determine which tree would prosper in your yard.
- 2. Choose one to purchase at one of these Birmingham retailers:
- 3. Plant it. If you need some tips, follow this handy dandy guide.
If you’re scared about trying to keep a tree alive on your own, I’m right there with you. I have a serious black thumb in gardening. I have trouble even keeping a succulent alive. Which reminds me, I need to check on it sooner than later.
So, if you’re not ready to commit to your own tree, consider donating to the #teamtrees campaign–every dollar plants a tree!
Make sure to tag @bhamnow with a pic of your newly planted tree!
