Barrington arborist to be in 500-mile charity ride
Barrington arborist Mark Younger is training and fundraising to ride in the STIHL Tour des Trees this July, a weeklong, 500-mile cycling event through northern Illinois.
The tour benefits the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund, an international nonprofit focused on education and research in arboriculture and urban forestry. Arboriculture is the science of caring for trees in the landscape.
"This will be my first STIHL Tour des Trees and I am so excited because it's taking place in my home state," Younger said. "I can't wait to see what this journey will be like."
Riders raise a minimum of $3,500 to participate in the STIHL Tour des Trees, which helps to fund scientific research grants, education programs and scholarships administered by the TREE Fund.
The 2010 tour launches from Chicago's Millennium Park July 18 and heads west to the Mississippi River, with stops in Zion, Rockford and Galena. Additional destinations include Moline, Peoria and Princeton, before returning to the Chicago area for a "victory lap" and closing ceremonies at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle during the International Society of Arboriculture's International Tree Climbing Championship July 24.
Along the way, tour cyclists will plant or dedicate trees in the communities they visit, and participate in community education events focusing on proper tree care.
New for 2010 is a one-day "Ride for Research" on Saturday, July 24 featuring two of Chicagoland's most scenic and noteworthy research facilities: Fermilab and the Morton Arboretum.
More than 100 additional cyclists are expected to join the STIHL Tour des Trees riders for the 35-mile "Ride for Research," to help raise awareness of the TREE fund and the importance of research to the sustainability of our urban forests.
The 2009 STIHL Tour des Trees raised nearly a half-million dollars for the TREE fund.
"There are great, excited people riding together to benefit the TREE fund," said Younger. "I'm proud and ready to support tree research and ultimately improve the care of trees."
To register to ride or support the riders, visit stihltourdestrees.org.