Local Businesses Celebrate Arbor Day

The April showers have arrived early, clearly announcing that spring is coming. That means Arbor Day is right around the corner.

Arbor Day is a national holiday dedicated to the planting and caring of trees. Last year a group of local businesses, led by Cornerstone Tree Care and Suntree Tree Healthcare, gathered to care for the trees of Haven Park in Portsmouth. The two companies scaled trees over ninety feet high to prune deadwood and rid the trees of disease and blight.

In all, six local tree care companies donated their time, and several other local businesses donated supplies and food to turn this day of service into one of equally fervent celebration.

At the end of the day, the Portsmouth Brewery hosted a dinner for the entire crew which included a much-enjoyed round of drinks.

This year Arbor Day will again be celebrated by the local tree care businesses of Portsmouth -- Cornerstone and Suntree included. When asked how the idea of donating an entire day of labor to the city of Portsmouth for Arbor Day came about, Micum Davis of Cornerstone Treecare quipped, “I saw a need in the community. The wonderful trees needed to be better taken care of with professional care”.

Davis wanted to create awareness in the community about how important it is to correctly care for trees. The best methods of tree care were researched and founded by Alex Shigo, who according to Davis is the father of modern arboriculture, and is widely considered “THE pioneer” in tree biology. Shigo and his family lived in Durham, NH.

The tree companies will be helping out a new park in Portsmouth this year: Peirce Island. According to Davis, there’s a lot of activity in the dog walking area, where the arborists will focus their efforts on removing hazards, pruning over the walkways, and doing healthcare pruning.

Guest Blog: Roberts Community Suppers to Host Kittery PTA

By Nicholas White

Roberts Community Suppers will be hosting the Kittery PTA on December 1st and December 8th. A three course meal will be provided for $12 per person, kids menu’s available, with 5% of the proceeds going to the Kittery PTA. This is the first time a school group will be using the Community Suppers to help raise money and this is a great opportunity to come enjoy great food while supporting a great group. Robert’s provides local groups to hold dinners at the restaurant in order to build community closeness. The PTA community dinner offers the community a chance to come hear a little bit about what the PTA is doing and how the money raised from the dinner will be used to benefit the children.
 

Keep ME Warm Program Seeks Volunteers

Winter is coming and many Mainers will be struggling to keep warm when the temperatures go down and the snow starts to fly. Are you interested in helping those who are unable to winterize their homes this winter? The Keep ME Warm Program will provide winterization materials to community volunteers to help winterize homes of eligible residents.

The KMW 09 program is different from last years and is intended to move the program toward a sustainable model and provide a broader energy savings impact for Maine homes long term. One important example of this is direct volunteer team access to a list of weatherization items through a contracted vendor and customized window inserts designed by Charlie Wing, nationally renowned author and energy expert, and produced through a collaborative effort with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the Maine Department of Corrections, Habitat for Humanity/7 Rivers Maine, and the Maine State Housing Authority.

Stratham to Host Winter's Final Farmer's Market... Define "Winter"...

This Saturday will mark the Seacoast's last official farmer's market before the summer market season officially kicks off the first weekend in May in downtown Portsmouth (that is, of course, assuming it's stopped snowing by then). Despite the expected frigid temperatures, this weekend's gathering in Stratham promises to offer the best in local seafood, poultry, and even some hidden veggie gems that have been hiding away in local greenhouses.

Of course, the Green Alliance will be there, handing out fliers and talking to community members -- generally accosting anyone who will listen and telling them about our incredible growth these first seven months, and the myriad goals we have to celebrate our fast-approaching one year anniversary in July.

Volunteers are still needed to help with a variety of tasks -- unloading, handing out calendars, etc. To inquire further, email info@seacoasteatlocal.com

Some of the farms and distributors that will be on hand this Saturday in Stratham: