Becca Snowdale has worked for Friends of Trees for over two years. The non-profit organization is a community benefit charity that plants trees in public spaces to improve air, water and soil quality. The trees also create an urban canopy which combats rising temperatures.
Photos by: Victoria Sanchez
Volunteers make their way to begin the first tree planting of the season bright and early at 8:45am on Saturday, October 21st. Funded by Union Pacific, the non-profit Friends of Trees is planting a variety of indigenous trees and shrubs along the NW expressway.Becca Snowdale has been volunteering for the non-profit Friends of Trees for two years, and was hired three months ago as the neighborhood tree outreach assistant. “I really loved volunteering. It was my favorite thing,” Becca reminisces about her first few years as a volunteer.Snowdale helps fellow volunteers with the a pod. Once the trees are grown, they will act as a pollution buffer between the railroads and the neighboring subdivisions. The planting of these trees brings volunteers and the community together.Snowdale prepares the tree to be planted by ‘massaging’ the roots so they are better able to imbed themselves into the soil. “It’s satisfying, to go throughout your day, and walk past these trees that you mulched, or something else that you planted. It’s really rewarding,” Snowdale says.Snowdale and fellow volunteers finish the last pod of the day. The trees provide many benefits, including better water and air quality for the surrounding areas. When fully grown, the trees’ canopy provide shade, thus cooling the surrounding temperatures as well.
