Students, teachers and environmental activists came together on August 14 to plant 22 trees at Merrick Avenue Middle School before classes resume in a few weeks.

“It gets the kids outside so they can learn about the plant species,” said Jon Simpkins, director of school facilities and operations for the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. “We definitely want to get them involved when they come back to school to come here and talk about the importance of trees.”

The planting will not only help the children in the upcoming school year, but also future generations. “These trees will be here for hundreds of years,” Simpkins said. “It’s great to be part of something that we’ll see for decades to come.”

The planting was made possible through a partnership between Merrick Avenue Middle School, nurseries, environmental organization Wild Ones and ecological landscaping company Wild by Design.

Wild Ones is a national organization that replants trees in areas affected by clearcutting. Fred Nass, president of the New York metropolitan area chapter of Wild Ones, described the project as having educational value that goes beyond the classroom.

“It can be a learning experience, not only for the students, but also for the parents who go home and say, ‘I have to do this with my own property,'” he said.

“For us, it’s a win-win situation: the district cooperates and gets beautiful trees, we volunteer to help plant and care for them, and the people in the community benefit from all the advantages that trees offer,” says Louis Paolillo, volunteer with Wild Ones.

Wild Ones has had success in establishing tree planting partnerships with small businesses in the past, but this latest planting represents an important milestone.

“This county’s department is the first major organization that has agreed to work with us to save Merrick’s trees, and we really appreciate that,” Paollilo said. “We hope this will create a snowball effect in other counties, first in Merrick and then in other cities.”

Wild Ones established a Long Island branch several years ago in response to the increasing number of tree removals. Paollilo said he noticed several areas around the school where trees had been cut down.

“I’ve counted over 95 trees within a one-mile radius of the North Merrick Public Library that have been cut down in the past. I personally counted five trees that were cut down here and another six on another piece of land,” Paollilo said. “It adds up.”

“If things continue like this, there will soon be no trees left,” said local environmentalist Andrea Martone.

Trees are often cut down for fear of falling branches, for nuisance reasons or for aesthetic reasons. But with each stump, the canopy shrinks, says Greg Fine, owner of the organic landscaping company Wild by Design.

“We’re just trying to restore some of the trees that have been lost so we don’t lose any more wildlife,” Fine said. “If we continue to destroy habitat, we’ll continue to take away their habitat and we won’t have them anymore.”

Trees play several important roles in suburban areas, he added. Trees catch dust and other wind-blown particles and cushion the effects of flooding by absorbing rain. Their presence can mitigate the effects of climate change by providing much-needed shade for homes and streets during increasingly warmer summers.

“It’s going to get hotter because we’re going to have more concrete, more asphalt and more light pollution,” Fine said. “Trees help prevent flooding, increase our oxygen levels, provide habitat for our native wildlife and birds and bring us beauty.”

The community will benefit from these advantages as long as there are trees there, Fine explained.

“A tree will provide that habitat for us long after we are gone,” Fine said. “If we, as shepherds of our planet, take on this task together, we will make it a much better place for all of us, not just for our generation, but for generations to come.”

Matt Walden, a volunteer at the planting, recently retired from the technology business in New York City. Since then, he has been an active member of local environmental movements.

“We want the neighborhood to retain the character and atmosphere of the neighborhood we moved into,” Walden said. “I think school is a great start.”

For Walden, plantings like this are a perfect opportunity for the community to get involved in a good cause.

“I’m something of a tree hugger,” Walden said. “I suggested to all the schools in the neighborhood that on Arbor Day and Earth Day they do a $2 collection from all the students, and I personally said I would match the trees they planted.”

The planting was made possible through a collaboration with Claire McNair of Bell Nursery, a plant nursery in New Jersey, who partnered with Home Depot to offer trees to the county at discounted prices. They provided swamp oak and red oak trees, which are native to the area’s ecosystem.

For more information about Wild Ones and future initiatives, visit WildOnes.org or email [email protected].