Wow, that was a hot August! I know when I start to heat up, I cool myself down by taking in lots of fluid and protecting myself from the sun. Unfortunately, the trees in the South Sacramento community are not able to do the same. Fortunately, we had great support from the community and were able to provide our trees with some protection through our Mulch Madness events last month.

We had two events in South Sacramento: one at Pollock Ranch Park on August 19^th and the other at Nielsen Park on August 26^th. With great volunteer turnouts at both events, we were able to mulch about 130 trees. We also removed trash from the parks, including candy wrappers, water bottles and even a motorcycle battery.

Events like Mulch Madness are greatly needed for the health of our trees. By mulching our trees, we help them retain moisture in their soil as well as maintain soil temperature to protect their roots from the extreme summer heat. Over time, the mulch will decompose and provide nutrients for the trees to ensure they become an integral part of our urban forest.

I was truly humbled by the number of volunteers that gave up their Saturday morning to protect trees and beautifying our parks. I was also glad to see our young volunteers from opposite ends of Sacramento come together and make new friends. Moreover, we were able to meet a great community leader, Mrs. Jackson-Carter, at the Pollock Ranch Park mulching event.

Events like this are not possible without the support of our community members. Please continue to support our trees, communities, and the Sacramento Tree Foundation. If you are interested, please email neighborwoods@sactree.org to learn how you can bring a forest to your neighborhood!