2,800 Scouts to Plant 28,000 Seedlings During Guy Miller Commemorative Tree Plant

([ Portland], [Or], [03/26/04])— The 27 th Annual Guy Miller Tree Plant for the Cascade Pacific Council, Boy Scouts of America, is underway. The first of 85 Guy Miller Tree Plants was held last November at the Delbert Hunter Arboretum in Dallas, OR. Twenty Cub Scouts and Cub Scout leaders from Pack 38 successfully planted over 200 tree seedlings in the Dallas City Park with Arboretum Director Carol Mannen.

“Our mission at Friends of Trees is to inspire community stewardship of the urban forest. Working with the Boy Scouts at tree planting events allows us to channel the energy and enthusiasm of youth into making a positive

difference for our urban natural areas. Hopefully their experiences planting trees will lead to a lifetime of stewardship,” said Ryan Durocher, Natural Area Restoration Specialist, Friends of Trees.

Replanting trees is a very important activity. Repercussions of reduced tree cover include increased CO2 emissions, increased storm water flow and reduced summer energy savings, all of which end up costing money.

A total of 32 tree plant sponsors are offering over 85 tree plants within the Cascade Pacific Council’s boundaries, from Longview-Kelso, WA to Albany, OR; west to the Oregon and Washington coasts; and east to The Dalles, OR and Goldendale, WA.

Several sponsors are helping the environment and youth organizations by offering multiple tree plants:

Sponsor	No. of Tree Plants
*Friends of Trees	25
*SOLV Team Up	15
*Johnson Creek Watershed Council	6
* Clackamas County Forest Program	4
*Longview Fibre Co.	4
* Metro Regional Parks and Green Spaces	3

* Sandy River Watershed Council	3
* Rooster Rock State Park	3
* USDA Forest Service	3
*Oregon Department of Forestry	2
*Raindrops to Refuge	2
*Weyerhaueser Co.	2

 At least 2800 youth are invited to plant at least 10 tree seedlings each in the forest and conservation areas offered. Each year, the Guy Miller Tree Plant Program achieves greater participation, which means more trees, shrubs and ground covers get planted to maintain and enhance the Pacific Northwest environment.

Girl Scouts from the Columbia River Council are encouraged to participate with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture crew and Explorer post members.

Thanks to all our tree plant sponsors for making this service-learning opportunity available to the youth of our area.

About the Cascade Pacific Council, Boy Scouts of America

The Cascade Pacific Council ranks among the nation’s largest Scout councils (out of 319) in terms of membership. The Cascade Pacific Council serves more than 47,880 youth in 18 counties in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington, and is supported by more than 15,900 adult volunteer mentors.

Local Boy Scouts of America Accomplishments

This last year (2003) Scouts of the Cascade Pacific Council reached out to the community and achieved the following outstanding accomplishments:  

Goodwill/Good Turn – Scouts collected approximately 340,000 pounds of usable clothing and household goods for Goodwill Industries. 

Camping Program – The Cascade Pacific Council has one of the strongest outdoor camping programs in the country, camping 11,000 boys at seven summer resident camps and ten day camps last year.  

Scouting for Food – Scouts collected 494,799 pounds of food for local hunger relief agencies through the Scouting for Food drive.  

Guy Miller Tree Plant – Over 2,500 youth and family members planted nearly 37,500 tree seedlings in our forests and neighborhoods in support of the Guy Miller Tree Plant program. Since 1977, this program has accounted for the planting of more than 2 million trees.  

Violence Free Spring Break – In partnership with the Portland Police Bureau, the Police Activities League, Multnomah County, Boys and Girls Club, and other organizations, the Cascade Pacific Council has planned, coordinated and staffed special events like “Violence Free Spring Break.” Over 375 youth were served for this event alone. These events use Scouting facilities and curriculums to deliver positive, values-based programs.

Outreach – Over $29,930 in scholarships was awarded to over 536 youth members for summer camp.

Boy Scouts of America - Connecting youth with communities and families.