Teens hit streets to keep trees watered - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

On another blistering day, several dozen teenagers were doing jumping jacks and push-ups in the Keep Indianapolis Beautiful parking lot just southeast of downtown.

They were warming up for another day on the job of keeping thousands of the city's young trees green. The KIB Youth Tree Team waters trees in parks, medians and other public places.

Tuesday afternoon, one crew of eight was headed to Garfield Park. They stopped first to fill up a 500-gallon tank with water from a city hydrant. (The city has given KIB permission to pull from its hydrants.)

Their job was to water some 50 trees scattered throughout the park.

Briana, who has spent four summers in the program said, "It's the best job ever. I get to be outside and learn so much about different trees."

She also knows how critical the job's become with three back-to-back droughts.

"This summer, especially, you see a lot trees drying up and getting crispy, so it's important to save them now so they can grow and mature," she said.

KIB arborist Nate Faris said while younger trees are more vulnerable to the dry, hot conditions, people need to tend to older trees as well.

"If you have a 50-80 foot tall tree, you can't replace it in a lifetime," Faris said.

He said the last three years have has taken its toll.

"Look at your trees and pay attention," he said. "If you see they're wilting or losing their leaves, water them more."

Faris said while younger trees need about 15-20 gallons a week (in normal conditions), older trees need much more.

"Try to get the equivalent of one inch of rain over everything under all the branches, which would be the root zone," he said, noting it extends well beyond the trunk.

That's pretty hard, since sprinklers are prohibited under the mandatory ban, but he said even running a hose near the ends of the branches will help.

For the KIB Youth Tree Team, it's the "Bucket Brigade." The teens fill up two five-gallon buckets of water and haul them to the young trees. It's not easy work. Each bucket weighs more than 40 pounds.

But the teens say it's worth every step, even when the temperature's pushing 100.

"It's good to give back and see the work you're doing. I can come back in 2-3 years and say, 'I watered or planted that,' that's so cool," said one of the teens, Byron.

And they have learned a lot. Asked for advice, Aaron said, "Let the grass die, it will grow back. But when a tree dies, it doesn't, so water just the trees if you have one."

"Even though it's dry, test it. Take off a branch and see if there's still green on it. If it's still alive, it's still green, so keep watering and don't give up," Briana said.

The teens are among 75 involved in the summer program, which has been around since 2006. They work 20 hours a week, with pay starting at $8 an hour.