NFL Environmental Program & Super Grow XLV is a Touchdown for Trees

By Lara Moffat, MLA, Director of Marketing, Lambert's

Steve Gaharan (ISA Certified arborist & director of Moore Tree Care), Jack Grol (director of the NFL Environmental Program), Jeanette Monear (executive director of Texas Trees Foundation), Tyson Woods (ISA Certified arborist & director of sales for Moore Tree Care), Herbert A. Gears (mayor of Irving), Tim Reed (garden designer at Lambert's), Mike Griffith (Irving Parks Manager / City Arborist), and Micah Pace (Texas Forest Service Staff Forester II) Images courtesy of Lambert's

Did you know that the NFL has an Environmental Program? I didn't either until Moore Tree Care, Dallas, Texas, was asked to assist with the Climate Change Initiative component of the NFL Super Bowl program through our relationship with the Texas Trees Foundation. Lambert's | Moore provided host community coordination, including educational outreach programs, horticultural guidelines, and technical support to each of the host communities, and on site supervision during planting, all as part of our philanthropic commitment to support our community.

The objective of the NFL Environmental Program is to evaluate the environmental impacts of Super Bowl activities and then work with the Host Committee to develop and implement cost-effective and sustainable projects to address five areas through local implementation. The five areas are Solid Waste Management, Material Reuse, Food Recovery, Sports Equipment and Book Donations, and Climate Change Initiative. The major project that Lambert's | Moore agreed to help support and manage was: Tree plantings in each of the 12 host communities, which will aid in sequestering greenhouses gas created by Super Bowl-related activities.

Mike Griffith (Irving Parks Manager / City Arborist) served as MC for the opening ceremony; the Super Grow XLV's sponsors were displayed at every planting.

Players

Moore Tree Care, a subsidiary of Lambert's, partnered with the Texas Trees Foundation, the Texas Forest Service, the National Football League Environmental Program, the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee and other sponsors to create Super Grow XLV, an environmental project that will help offset the impact of Super Bowl XLV by the planting of +6500 trees.

Super Grow XLV featured three components: (1) The Signature Planting projects in each of the 12 Super Bowl XLV host communities (2) The Education and Tree Giveaway (up to 500 seedlings) at one school in each of the 12 Super Bowl XLV host communities, and (3) The Grand Finale event, Touchdown for Trees, a celebration Jan. 24 in Arlington that featured Drew Pearson, Dallas Cowboy great and Super Bowl champion, and Bill Lively, president/CEO of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee.

Lambert's Landscape Architects assisted Moore Tree Care arborists with site design alongside the community's representatives. The planting plan for each project was enlarged as a visual for the event and will now be part of the NFL Registry.

Host Community Tree Plantings

The tree-planting program supplied each community with a ''package'' to develop a project on public lands within their communities. A minimum of 45 native or adapted trees were included within the package and these plantings will now be amongst a Super Bowl Tree Registry being developed by the NFL as a lasting legacy of Super Bowl XLV.

Truly a firm wide effort, Lambert's landscape architects aided in site analysis and design of the projects as well as supportive graphics; and our horticulturists guided the volunteers with proper planting techniques alongside our Moore Tree Care arborists.

Super Grow XLV, with over 6500 new trees, was an immense opportunity to impact the DFW metroplex through tree planting and education. Lambert's | Moore is excited to have been a part of this initiative!

For more information please visit www.texastrees.org/super-grow-xlv/.