Text-A-Tree

Our trees were so delighted to meet you all! 2019 was the first time they had ever texted humans, and it was a phenomenal experience. Though they no longer have their phones, the trees still love to visit with people. They’re excellent listeners :)

THE PROJECT

In the summer of 2019 we launched Text-A-Tree, one part public engagement and one part academic study. We wanted to encourage people to connect with nature in cities, while testing how technology could help. We welcomed all people to the project, while looking to honour Mi’kmaq and Japanese culture in particular. Since we wanted to help people develop relationships with trees, we proposed that the best strategy would be to emulate how people develop relationships with each other. For many of us, that means texting! So from July 7th to Aug 31st, 2019, the public was invited to text 15 trees in the Halifax Public Gardens and receive unique replies provided by our volunteers. Text-A-Tree asked the question, “If you could talk to a tree, what would you say?”, and the public answered!

The project was led by Julietta Sorensen Kass, with the help of The Friends of the Public Gardens, Peter Duinker and the Halifax Tree Project, Dalhousie University, and some phenomenal volunteers. We were especially grateful to have received funding from the Government of Nova Scotia’s Culture Innovation Fund, as well as from the Suellen Murray Educational Bursary, Without this support Text-A-Tree would not have been possible. Learn more about the bursary and the legacy of Suellen, here.

Everyone who chose to text a tree received a reply from the volunteer tree-speaker voicing that individual. Regular texting fees applied without any additional charge from our end. Participants were welcome to say as much or as little as they liked. To get the phone numbers, participants had to meet the trees in person! Each textable tree had a sign with their unique name and phone number. For those who weren’t especially chatty, we also offered the silent Wish Tree. People could text their wishes to the Wish Tree, or participate online by using the hashtag #textatreehalifax, or by following us @textatreehalifax on Facebook and Instagram.

THE STUDY

Julietta used the project as part of her Master’s degree to test whether texting and social media could be used to help people connect with trees. If the answer was yes, then why? She also wanted to find out what makes trees important to people. She answered these questions by 1) looking at the number of people who liked/posted to/commented on Instagram and Facebook, 2) reading the messages people sent to trees, 3) asking people two survey questions.

To answer all of these questions, several rounds of analyses and reporting are required, the first of which is available here! We hope the results of the study will help the public and decision-makers better understand the importance of urban forests.

Sorensen Kass, 2020