1000th Tree Planting, Celebration & Fundraiser
On October 5th, Heights Tree People planted our 1000th tree since we began our work in 2019. We plant trees in the Heights as an act of love—love for trees, for our community, and for the planet. We then celebrated the work we've done and the work yet to come.
This location is special to Heights Tree People. Not only because it was our 1000th tree planted and will serve as a tribute to the community that supports us. This tree also symbolizes a link connecting the history of Cleveland Heights to a future guided by community, love, and sustainability.
Here’s the story: Henry Caine, great-grandfather of Heights Tree People cofounder Laura Marks, was a local leader who worked to extend the Cedar Road trolley line from Coventry Road to Green Road. But on the corner of Cedar and Lee was a majestic elm—six feet in diameter!—that was slated for removal to make room for the trolley. Although the Heights community supported the extension of the trolley line, they—in true Heights fashion—turned out to protest the planned tree removal. As a result, both Cedar Road and the trolley line were rerouted, and the elm tree remained, standing as an emblem of the Heights’ sense of activism and our commitment to preserving our natural environment.
Heights Tree People planted our 1000th tree, a red oak, at this corner to honor where we’ve been as well as where we’re going, both as a community and as an organization:
We are becoming an independent nonprofit organization!
Wish you could’ve been there to help us celebrate and grow? You can still help us achieve our mission through a donation!
Following the planting, we walked down the street to Bottlehouse Brewery and Meadery to celebrate not only this milestone and the community we’ve built, but also the future of Heights Tree People as an independent nonprofit organization.
Community is essential to Heights Tree People. We are grateful for the support we’ve received since our inception in 2019. From the many volunteers who have donated their time, energy, and expertise to help plant trees, to our generous financial supporters, to residents who take the optimistic first step of deciding to plant a tree and invest in the health and well-being of our planet—without you, we wouldn’t be here.
We were so happy to be able to come together, have fun, and celebrate the work we’ve done as well as the possibilities in front of us as we move forward as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization!
