Stow City commissioners plan Arbor Day event with tree giveaway and hands-on demos

The City of Stow Urban Forestry Commission spent the bulk of its meeting discussing plans for an Arbor Day event to be held at the end of April, including a planned tree giveaway, demonstration stations on planting and mulching, and outreach materials.

Commission discussion focused on scheduling and site logistics. Minutes from a prior meeting list Friday, April 25, as the intended date, while several commissioners also referenced April 26; the commission did not record a final, binding date during the discussion. Commissioners proposed a “park and walk” format rather than a drive-through, with a check-in area and two to three demonstration stations (planting, mulching, pruning). Commission members discussed using the parking-lot area adjacent to the planned police/fire memorial to host stations and tree distribution to reduce staff logistics and vehicle congestion.

Commissioners discussed ordering larger, higher-quality replacement trees than in prior years and revisiting the vendor order (one member said larger caliper trees that require more care are preferable). Commissioners noted previous registration systems using timed increments (15–30 minute windows) and weighed first-come, first-served versus scheduled sign-ups to manage crowds. One speaker noted the commission has “200 trees to give away,” but the exact number and sizes were discussed as subject to confirmation with staff and suppliers.

Outreach and education were central to the plan. The commission agreed to produce printed handouts and a QR-code card linking to planting, mulching and pruning resources on the city or forestry web page; commissioners discussed using short, reputable videos (2–3 minutes) and existing PDFs for proper planting guidance. They also planned to include on-site demonstrations that would show correct planting depth and mulching technique, and to stage the ceremonial planting at the end of the program so attendees could see an example before leaving.

Logistics to finalize before the event include confirming the date (April 25 vs. April 26), exact location on city property to avoid wet planting areas, ordering tree sizes and quantities, arranging parking/check-in flow, printing flyers and QR-code cards, and confirming staffing for check-in and demonstration stations. Commissioners asked staff to identify the vendor files and the city-hosted PDFs for QR-code linking and to prepare a short set of printed materials for distribution.

Commissioners emphasized that site choice must avoid permanently wet ground near the new memorial and that planting demonstrations should be staged where the ground has suitable topsoil and drainage. The commission left the date and some location details unresolved and assigned follow-up tasks to staff to confirm vendor orders, finalize logistics and prepare outreach materials.