Tree lovers may be interested to know that a special tree exists that survived at ground zero, a Callery pear tree became known as the “Survivor Tree” after enduring the September 11, 2001 terror attacks at the World Trade Center. In October 2001, planted in the 1970's, a severely damaged tree was discovered at Ground Zero, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches. The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. After its 9 year recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned to the Memorial in 2010. New, smooth limbs extended from the gnarled stumps, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and present. Today, the tree stands as a living reminder of resilience, survival, and rebirth. The Callery pear tree is planted with 225 other swamp white oak trees. The Survivor Tree is a natural symbol of resilience, rebirth, and survival.  

The Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) produces thousands of five-petal white flowers in early spring before leafing out for the summer. Callery pears are known to be incredibly resistant to disease and blight. 

September 11, 2021, is the 20th Anniversary of that tragic day. Join in, step forward to serve in a remarkable spirit of unity, honor, and compassion. Remember, even a small act of service is a giant act of patriotism. Share your service story and photos, and use #911Day on social media.

Volunteer: 9/11 Utah Day of Service Saturday, September 25th - Plant Trees with TreeUtah and Donate Food to the Olympus Food Pantry

We always welcome helping hands at the EcoGarden located next door to the Day Riverside Library at 1575 West 1000 North, TreeUtah’s EcoGarden is a community resource along the Jordan River in Rose Park that demonstrates how we can utilize trees in urban landscapes for gardening, food, and to benefit our social and natural environments.

There are a number of different projects in need of volunteers at the EcoGarden such as watering, weeding, mulching, composting, maintaining the guilds, and picking up trash. If you are interested in being part of the EcoGarden community, please contact us. EcoGarden workdays will be posted on the events calendar. Please check dates and listings frequently in Spring/Summer/Fall.

We have met so many wonderful volunteers and interesting groups of people who organize to come out to help plant. Some are small hiking groups all the way to large corporations, and then back to a small scouting group, looking to do good and give back to the community! Tree Planting is a fun and unique way to give back to the local community and make Utah a healthier, greener place to live, work, and play. Your business, church group, or community group is welcome to join us at one of our public tree plantings (for free!). Alternatively, you can sponsor your own special event. Many businesses choose to sponsor a planting or stewardship project as an annual team-building event or community service project. 

Setting up special events and purchasing trees requires a lot of time and effort. The required minimum donation to sponsor tree plantings will be based on the number of trees to be planted. Each event is different depending on your vision and budget. We are excited to work with you and see your ideas come to life!

Events include the following benefits to your organization

• Choose your own date and time
• Recognition of your commitment to sustainability on social media, press releases, and on our website and e-newsletter
• Team building by spending a few hours outdoors at a beautiful location
• Your team just needs to show up ready to plant and we do the rest; even including coffee and bagels if you want.
• You will get dirty and tired, but leave inspired!

Teams will help plant large landscape trees in public places such as parks and other open spaces or for restoration volunteers will assist in planting native seedlings to restore natural ecosystems. To learn more about participating in a tree planting, please contact us.

In those groups, volunteers came upon ten different tagged trees on their hike. They used a dichotomous key to identify specific characteristics leading them to identify the species. Volunteers learned about tree facts specific to the identified trees such as the gambel oak, chokecherry, and the quaking aspen along with general tree facts from the staff member leading each group. We absolutely loved seeing the volunteers have such inquisitive minds and asked such thoughtful questions to further their knowledge about the trees in Utah. In case you missed this event, keep an eye out for similar ones in the future through our events page.

We would like to thank ChipDrop who sponsored this event. The first ten lucky people who arrived got a stylish and free orange ChipDrop beanie to don and keep off the chill during the hike on Saturday. When you sign up with chipdrop.com, arborists can deliver free, fresh, and local wood chips directly to you and even schools too. Eliminate the usual hassle involved with buying wood chips and sign up with ChipDrop. It is a simple and effective solution to help the overall health of your yard.