WASHINGTON -- On Aug. 5, two Casey Trees staff members will embark on the week-long, 585-mile STIHL Tour des Trees in Oregon. Proceeds from the tour will benefit the Tree Research and Education Endowment (TREE) Fund.
“The STIHL Tour des Trees will be my greatest ride yet,” said Sara Turner, Urban Forestry Manager at Casey Trees. “I have always wanted to bike a long distance with other people passionate about riding. Now I get to do it with people also passionate about trees.”Turner and Neil Irvin, a member of Casey Trees’ urban forestry crew, will represent Casey Trees in the cycling event as part of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, International Society of Arboriculture (MAC-ISA) team.
“I’m excited to participate in the STIHL Tour des Trees because planting trees, interacting with the public and educating others about their environment are all passions of mine,” Irvin said.
Turner and Irvin have already raised a portion of the $3,500 each required to participate in the tour. Both riders are still accepting online donations through Sept. 30. To contribute to Turner and Irvin’s fundraising efforts, visit their respective donation pages at www.active.com/donate/STIHLTourdesTrees12/1236STurner (Turner) and www.active.com/donate/STIHLTourdesTrees12/1236nirvin (Irvin).
Casey Trees, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring, enhancing, and protecting trees in Washington D.C., co-sponsored last year’s STIHL Tour des Trees, which went from Virginia Beach, Va., to Washington, D.C. Riders stopped at Casey Trees’ headquarters in Brookland for lunch and a presentation on trees in urban settings.