What do chainsaws, bicycles and trees have in common? Well, until this week, I would have said, not very much.
In fact, I thought the press release I got for the Stihl Tour des Trees was a gag. A chainsaw maker sponsoring a bicycle tour to raise awareness about trees? What next? Is General Motors about to sponsor Car-Free Day?
It's just my own ignorance that I had never heard of the Tour des Trees before. Little did I know that it is the biggest fundraiser for urban tree research in North America (admittedly, a somewhat limited field). The ride, for the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund), raises hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, attracting hundreds of riders from the United States and Canada. Since 1992, the tour has raised more than $4 million US for tree research.
It kicks off from a different location every year. For 2009, the riders leave New York City on Saturday, July 18 and end up in Rhode Island on Saturday, July 25 after an 800-kilometre trek that takes them through eight states in the U.S. northeast.
Stihl has apparently been a regular sponsor (hey, if you're going to cut trees down, first you have to grow 'em) and this year, took on the "title sponsor" role.
As I said, there are Canadian riders, including Milton arbourist Greg Hill and Toronto parks supervisor Warren Hoselton. Money raised by them (and other Canadian riders) goes to the Canadian TREE Fund. You can learn about any rider at the rider gallery. You can get more info at the Tour des Trees home page.
And no snickering.
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