Euclid Shade Tree Commission finalizes SteamFest activities, seedling giveaway

Roy, a member of the Euclid Shade Tree Commission, outlined final preparations for the commission's SteamFest outreach table, saying the group will run three child-oriented activities: a "Tree Detective Challenge" map and question sheet, trunk-slab ring counting and a cardboard tree with colorable leaves.

The map will be a poster-scale plan of Triangle Park with "safe zones" that exclude busy edges near Babbitt and East 220th Street, and two versions of a handout are being produced — a half-sheet and a smaller, hand-friendly card. "I think the questions are name the tree that's in Triangle Park, and find the tree that's in Triangle Park," Roy said. The materials will be printed on card stock so the sheets are not floppy in participants' hands.

Commission members also planned hands-on items and giveaways. Jody said members should bring two trunk slabs so multiple families can practice counting annual rings. Matt Hannon volunteered an estimated 100 red maple seedlings (seedlings in a flat that will be separated) donated through his volunteering with Holden Forests & Gardens; the seedlings will be wrapped in blotter paper for moist transport. Roy said planting instructions will be provided via a printed flyer and QR code linking to the Urban Forestry web page.

Logistics and outreach materials were discussed in detail: large posters (including a 2-by-3-foot blown-up map), three easels, a shade-tree table runner, three handouts ("Moses Cleveland" postcards with program contact info, a Tree Allies sign-up sheet, and a "Plant a tree in your yard" flyer). The commission identified who would supply tents, chairs and easels for setup.

Members flagged staffing as the principal operational risk: periods of the event will be thinly staffed, with one or two volunteers at the booth for extended stretches. Roy said he will raise staffing and scheduling as a committee topic after the event. To measure public engagement, the commission agreed to use the Shore Board "passport" stamps (event-wide cards that visitors get stamped) and counts of trees given away as primary proxies for contacts, rather than a labor-intensive manual tally.

The commission did not adopt new policy or binding measures; the discussion was strictly planning and outreach direction.