By Glore Ruiz
“Have you seen those colorful wrappings on the trees in Fairground Park? I slow down as I drive by to look at them. They are eye-catching!”
Mti Wraps @ Fairground Park is a community-centered, outdoor public project erected in North St. Louis City by artist Dail Chambers. It responds to the need for increasing tree survival rates during establishment, particularly at Fairground Park, where newly planted trees have struggled to survive. Secondly, it responds to a community’s desire for beauty, while creating opportunities for engagement that serve all ages and varied abilities.
“Mti” (pronounced m-tee) means tree in Swahili. Trees in public spaces not only beautify, but offer many health benefits to the community, such as shade, improved mental health and the reduction of asthma. However, trees in public spaces are vulnerable to mower damage, vandalism and even theft. Mti Wraps @ Fairground Park is a means to solve both a forestry need and a community need.
In African culture, the practice of tree wrapping is a community event. Large baobab trees dominate the landscape, and in order to wrap one, many hands join together in ujima, that is collective work. Mti Wraps @ Fairground Park was similarly created. It also incorporates kuumba, or creativity. By repurposing donated fabric scraps and broken garden hoses, otherwise destined for the landfill, the project creatively incorporates the idea of sustainability. Umoja, or unity, is achieved through coming together to create art.
Tree planting in a city park can be a difficult undertaking often met with compacted clay soil, limiting who can participate. The Mti Wraps project brought together the entire community, young and old and those with varied abilities. Each hand had a vital role in the project’s completion. Aesthetic and functionality combined to bring both color and pride to the neighborhood environment.
Dail was inspired by a tree wrapping of a baobab tree in Africa. She was exposed to this work by the late Ismima Nebtkata, a Saint Louis based community artist who worked in fiber arts. This African based, multi-cultural practice has inspired people all across the globe to create their own version. Mti Wraps @ Fairground Park is upcycled art. Donated fabric and garden hoses come from perennial stl, Urban Harvest and A.C.R.E.S.
“Imagine the kids in your congregation growing up learning all the native plants in your area and how to take care of them, and being able to experience the divine in nature,” says Christopher Grundy.
Since 1999, the Ferguson Volunteer Flower Department has been caring for two gardens in downtown Ferguson.
With Forest ReLeaf’s help, Park Commissioner Peg Crockett is adding more trees to Hunter Park, giving the local community more opportunities for play and leisure.
I am Elijah Belz, the Field Operations Coordinator for Forest ReLeaf. I am a certified arborist and the primary person in the field for Forest ReLeaf, maintaining roughly 1000 trees planted in the St. Louis City, and maintaining our equipment our equipment used to maintain our trees! This job is a catch-all position that carries different responsibilities during the different seasons. Fall and spring are our planting, tree delivery, and inventory season; winter is our pruning, mulching, and planning season; summer is our watering season where we lead a crew of interns getting into the green industry.
My background is bicycle repair! I was in that industry for almost a decade, including running a bicycle repair shop, before taking a job with a tree planting organization in Atlanta. From there I moved to an edible landscape company. I became certified as an arborist while working at Forest ReLeaf this February! Trees rock, bikes are cool too.
De’Nonna Jones graduated from Knox College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, driven by a commitment to environmental justice and community-based conservation. Since then, she has gained hands-on experience working across a range of green spaces throughout the St. Louis region, focusing on the care, restoration, and accessibility of urban natural areas. She began her journey at Tower Grove Park, where she developed a deep appreciation for public green spaces as vital community resources, before moving into a stewardship role with the Missouri Botanical Garden in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway. She now serves as the Stewardship Crew Coordinator at Forest ReLeaf. De’Nonna is passionate about creating inclusive pathways into environmental work and empowering tree lovers and emerging conservationists to see themselves as stewards of their communities. Through her work, she strives to strengthen connections between people, trees, and places in urban environments.
After 17 years in the non-profit and public sector, Jess remains committed to mission-driven work that tackles the challenges facing our communities. Their career began with a year of service as an Americorps St. Louis Emergency Response team member, responding to natural disasters and performing conservation projects. That foundation of service led to roles supporting the arts, affordable housing, mental health, and grassroots housing advocacy in St. Louis. During this journey Jess has worked to center the value “nothing about us, without us.” They do their best to ensure that the voices of people who have been marginalized guide the strategy and execution of work that honors their lived experiences. When they aren’t working, Jess is out paddling, hiking, working in their garden, or building something.
