April 21 the SCA NH corps' high school program, SCA Manchester helped the Governor and his wife dedicate a survivor tree in Concord.
The American Elm seedling was donated to NH as a survivor seedling of the Oklahoma bombing back in April of 1995. It has been steadily taking root in its new home in New Hampshire. To show just what a "survivor" it is check out the tap root that has gone more than 12 feet out in the three short years here in the hardy New England weather.
Dr. Susan Lynch, a pediatrician and 1st lady of NH, was on hand to make the dedication and even did some of the warm-up yoga with the crew before the project got underway. She introduced, Mike Vecchiarelli the SCA NH corps director, who said a few words about the Manchester team and our shared environmental stewardship goals. Finally, he introduced Gov. John Lynch who made the official proclamation of Earth Day in N.H.
Well, it was SCA Manchester's job to see that the tree continue that great growth with a little assistance. The team carefully pealed out the sod and grass; laid down a rich bead of loam; and then a warm bed of mulch. Careful not to hurt the shallow root structure, they built a barrier around the tree and set about doing more invasives removal and mulching elsewhere on the property.
