West St. Paul
The city of West St. Paul borders St. Paul and the Mississippi, and is approximately the size of 5 square miles. There is an average of 3 parks within every half-mile of the city, with a total of 13 parks present. There is also the notable Garlough-Marthaler Trail Project, that creates a trail connecting these two large parks in a scenic route.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of this project is to provide resources and information for the City of West Saint Paul to make informed decisions on how to incorporate native fruit-bearing trees and shrubs into their community parks. The main objectives are:
- Identify native and non-native fruit-bearing trees and shrubs appropriate for West St. Paul.
- Identify methods for community engagement in food forests.
- Identify suitable management practices for management of a community-run food forest.
Our Group Vision
To provide sustainable community support, recreation, and education to residents of the City of West Saint Paul. This project is an opportunity to provide equitable access to urban green space as well as nutritious food through community-based efforts.
Our Methods
We pulled from many sources to establish our knowledge on fruit trees and shrubs, as well as food forests. These sources vary in type, but include Key Informant Interviews with individuals who have worked in related fields to this project. It also includes case studies on other food forests around the world, and literature reviews of readings that were relevant with their topics.
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How to Select the Ideal Trees and Shrubs
There are several factors that must be considered before selecting and planting trees and shrubs. The charts above show some of the choices that need to be made, and creates paths depending on what conditions the site is. This results in potential trees/shrubs that would be ideal with the site conditions selected. It is also important to understand what you want from the plant selected, so that it does not potentially overwhelm with caretaking needs.
Some characteristics that should be identified include:
Some characteristics that should be identified include:
- Irrigation and Water Availability
- Soil Acidity
- Sunlight Available
- Temperature
- Yield of Crop Desired
- Maintenance Requirements
- Harvest Timing
Recommendations
1. The first recommendation is selecting specific trees with characteristics that would are easier to maintain and encourage frequent visiting by the public. Some of these characteristics include dwarf varieties of trees, high fruit yield, and being low maintenance.
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Image from LEAF Network at https://leafnetworkaz.org/Tree-Sizes |
2. The second recommendation is to encourage the community members to become involved with the food forests through proper education. This can be accomplished through education, such as signs to inform what the trees and bushes are. Surveys and discussion with community members would also be beneficial to understand what they would want out of the forests, and trying to accommodate those wants.
3. The final recommendation is to properly motivate and organize these community members through management practices. One practice can be community events, such as seasonal tree care events, in order to properly build an attachment between the community and the tree. Properly training community members can be useful as well for encouraging more frequent pruning and other maintenance activities.
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Image found from https://www.gardeningknowhow.com
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See our full report here for more details on food forests, ways to ensure they succeed, and other findings about fruit trees and shrubs.
Acknowledgements
This project would not have been possible without the help from Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Dave Schletty, Professors Dr. Kristen Nelson and Dr. Eric North, and our teaching assistant Hannah Ramer, for encouraging and bettering us throughout the project. Special thanks to Eric North for giving us a tour of The Urban Forestry Outreach and Research Orchard.
Thank you to our interviewees, Stephanie Hankerson, Annie Klodd, Patricia Ohmans, Gary Wyatt, and their respective organizations for sharing their knowledge and experience with edible trees and shrubs.
Thank you to City Manager Nate Burkett and Councilmember Lisa Eng-Sarne for their constructive feedback on our project.
West Saint Paul rests on the native and traditional lands of the Wahpekute and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ people.
Thank you to our interviewees, Stephanie Hankerson, Annie Klodd, Patricia Ohmans, Gary Wyatt, and their respective organizations for sharing their knowledge and experience with edible trees and shrubs.
Thank you to City Manager Nate Burkett and Councilmember Lisa Eng-Sarne for their constructive feedback on our project.
West Saint Paul rests on the native and traditional lands of the Wahpekute and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ people.
The Team
McKenzie Beckman
Group Leader |
Cassandra Barry
Group Liaison |
Mason Donat
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Lennart Droege
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Amina Muumin
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