Bank, environmental group partner to plant orchard at Ecology School in Saco

COURTESY / THE ECOLOGY SCHOOL An Auburn tree-planting organization received a TD Bank grant to plant an orchard at the Ecology School in Saco. The school’s 105-acre campus is seen here.

Write a Comment

By Staff

A nonprofit tree-planting group based in Auburn and Sandwich, N.H., has received a TD Bank grant to plant an orchard at the Ecology School’s new River Bend Farm campus in Saco.

The Ecology School, an environmental school in Saco, unveiled its new $14.1 million environmentally sustainable campus in April.

TD Bank selected ReTreeUS to receive a 2021 TD Tree Days grant.

ReTreeUS has planted orchards at over 50 Maine school since 2012, according to its website.

TD Tree Days is a community-based program created in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, which expands urban forests and green spaces in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods, according to a news release.

ReTreeUS staff, Ecology School staff and community volunteers will use the money to plant 30 fruit trees and 20 native fruit and nut shrubs at the school’s campus on May 7 and May 8.

Maineland Stump Grinding in Buxton and Portland-based Coast of Maine Organic Products contributed to the project.

Students in University of New England’s Sustainability and Ecological Restoration class taught by Tom Klak worked with ReTreeUS and The Ecology School to prepare the ground where the native fruit and nut shrub hedgerow will be planted enriching the soil with compost, seaweed and mulch.

ReTreeUS is one of 18 organizations in the United States chosen to participate in TD Tree Days through an application process. The project in Saco was the winner of an employee selection poll among the TD Bank employees as the final project for the season.

"We are excited to participate in TD Tree Days because this is an incredible opportunity to create an educational orchard that will benefit the community for decades,” Richard Hodges, ReTreeUS founder and program manager, said in the release. “In partnership with the Ecology School, this project will provide beatification, education and an abundance of fruit.”

Now in its 10th year, the TD Tree Days program typically brings together community members and TD employees at planting events in communities from Maine to Florida. Founded in Canada in 2010, the program has planted more than 435,000 trees and shrubs, primarily in Canada and the U.S., and is managed with support from the Arbor Day Foundation. Under the TD Ready Commitment platform, TD pledges to plant one million trees in North America by 2030, and the TD Tree Days program will count toward that goal.

"We're honored to support ReTreeUS during TD Tree Days to expand the tree canopy and help provide a healthier environment, which is critically important this year as more people recognize the wellness benefits of spending time outdoors during the pandemic," said Shelley Sylva, TD Bank's head of social impact.