Volunteering Tree Care for Veterans Cemeteries
Saluting Branches is a group of arborists and landscape industry professionals, started by Rainbow Treecare in Minnetonka, Minnesota, who have united to honor and remember United States veterans.
American Arbor Care is proud to participate and help do what we do best by providing excellent early fall tree care to help with the long-term upkeep of cemetery facilities. This ensures that the cemetery is a safe and beautiful place for anyone who visits.
In 2015, over one thousand volunteers from almost 250 different companies worked together to provide nearly $1 million and 8,000 hours in tree care and lawn services for cemeteries all throughout the United States. American Arbor Care looks forward to pitching in again, working together to give much-needed tree care for a great cause.
It’s an unfortunate but known fact that the cemeteries which provide comfortable final resting places for our loved ones aren’t always able to keep up with the grounds. This is especially true for dedicated Veteran cemeteries. This is why this once a year event was founded — it helps ensure that cemeteries which may not be able to afford to provide certain professional arborist services are able to take care of any issues with the trees and grounds of the cemetery. Whether it’s needed structural pruning or removing trees that pose a danger, American Arbor care and the rest of the arborists involved in Saluting Branches are happy to have a chance to help.
There are many different opportunities for individuals who may not be tree care specialists to help with the event!
Saluting Branches is always looking for more volunteers to help make the event a success. Some non-tree field work opportunities include dragging brush, raking up debris from specialists who are pruning trees, helping to prune smaller sized shrubs which need attention, and weeding planting beds for flowers.
If that doesn’t appeal to you but you still want to participate and make a positive, lasting impression on the families of Veterans, there are other ways you can volunteer! This could includes assisting with the setup and takedown of the event, being a greeter or staffing the registration table (helping to get waivers signed, handing out hats, etc). You could also be a runner between teams in the field (bringing water, or communicating between groups), help to set up food and refreshments for the workers, or participate by taking photos and videos of the event.
If you are looking for ways to help the Saluting Branches mission before the event even begins, you have many options. You can share news about the event on social media. If that doesn’t seem like enough for you, you can also contact local media outlets, and ask around about food donations for the volunteers working the event.
Saluting Branches is a wonderful community mission. American Arbor Care is proud to be a participant and partner with Rainbow Treecare this year, and we hope assist in revitalizing the area and paying tribute to our country’s veterans.
