What if you woke up one morning and all the trees in the Cape were gone! What would our community be like? Hotter in summer, colder in winter, bigger electric bills, no birds, no color in the Fall, no shady walks. Without its trees, the Cape would just no longer be a desirable place to live for many of us. Cape St Claire is very much a community of trees.
We are blessed with a
n amazing, abundant, and diverse canopy of beautiful trees. Trees that make our lives better and improve the value of our property. But we often ignore these benefits or just take our trees for granted.
Valuing Trees
On some level, most people appreciate trees and forests but underestimate their value. Trees and forests are much more than just a nice backdrop for a walk, a picnic or a scenic view. Trees are also at work every day, cleaning the air, cleaning our water, influencing our climate, protecting our soil and streams and improving our health.
The health of the Chesapeake Bay is also tied in part, to our trees and forests. Numerous scientific studies show that as trees are removed, the ability of a watershed to function properly also declines. About 57% of the Chesapeake Bay watershed is currently forested. Unfortunately, we are losing forests at a rate of nearly 100 acres each day. If we were tearing down a water treatment plant to build a shopping center, we’d be asking, ”who’s going to replace that” or ”how is the water going to be filtered now”? But trees are removed often with no accounting for how the services they provide will be replaced!The Cape Conservation Corps wants to help our community learn about, grow to appreciate, care for, and celebrate our incredible trees. What would you like to know? We want to hear from you.
If you want to contact us, or share your thoughts, email trees@capeconservationcorps.org.
Free Tree Giveaway – Deadline for applications is August 1, 2025!
A few years ago, CCC started the Cape Loves trees initiative with a survey of champion trees in the Cape. CCC is so passionate about trees that we are starting a new project in 2025 – a free tree planting program! Cape St. Claire residents will be able to apply for free native trees to plant on their property. We will even help you choose what’s best for your space, if you like.
The first giveaway is slated for Fall 2025. It will be on a first come, first served basis. An application is included in the March 12th blog article posted on our website https://capeconservationcorps.org/frees-trees/. The application will also accompany CCC’s monthly article in the April Caper. A list of available trees is within the application. The deadline to submit your application is August 1st – instructions on how to submit are also included on the application. Check it out!
