Espen Hansen, Vineland Tree Care
For the second year, Vineland participated in Saluting Branches. This marked the 9th year of the event, where 4,000 volunteers worked at 100 veteran properties nationwide. An estimated 4 million dollars of services went to the maintenance of trees in our nation’s cemeteries.
This is an opportunity for arborists to come together and contribute our unique skills.
Our Task
Vineland sent five volunteers, all veterans, to assist in the event. We started at our shop in the early morning, loading our equipment and discussing our plan for the day. We, of course, also shared military stories and our gratefulness for the event. When the sun began to rise, we were on our way to Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Fort Snelling is one of seven national cemeteries created between the two World Wars. Upon arrival, we parked our equipment among the dozens of other vehicles staged for the day’s work. We signed in at the event headquarters and held an event-wide safety brief. Following the brief, we had a moment of silence to recognize our veteran’s service.
After the opening, we were assigned a section of the cemetery based on our equipment. Our assignment was to prune the ash trees along the main road of the cemetery. We were honored to work on one of the highest visibility areas in the cemetery. We raised the canopies and removed dead wood, as well as reduced canopies as needed to improve light and shape. Our goals were to ensure the safety of visitors and improve the aesthetics of the trees.
Doing Our Part
We wasted no time getting set up and into the trees. Dan, a US Army veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, immediately took charge of the pruning specifications. Will, a Marine veteran with the 1st Marine Division, was the first into the trees. Cole, an Army National Guard veteran from the 34th Infantry Division, ascended the second tree. Bill, an Air National Guard veteran with the 133rd Airlift Wing and Honor Guard at Fort Snelling, took the third. This left Dan and me, an Army veteran from the 34th Infantry Division, to prune from the ground. The time flew by. It was lunchtime before we knew it.
Following lunch, we were assigned two more climbers from other tree care companies. It was great to see everyone come together for a common cause. With five climbers and two ground personnel, we completed the rest of our assigned area. We left the boulevard looking much better than when we had arrived that morning.
Why We Serve
Despite the high spirits and camaraderie, the day was not all celebration. As we worked in our section that afternoon, a large funeral procession moved through. The body of an active-duty soldier was laid to rest not far from our work zone. We all paused and, with a knowing glance, listened to the rifle volley of the 21-gun salute. It was a sad reminder of why we were there.
Saluting Branches is an opportunity to give back in a unique and meaningful way. We are grateful to provide our company’s veterans the opportunity to honor their military heritage.
