Hendersonville residents will plant 36 saplings to celebrate 30th year as Tree City USA

Press release from Hendersonville Tree Board:

Residents in Green Meadows neighborhood near the 7^th Avenue East Historic District will receive trees on Saturday, April 10, to plant at their homes.  Provided at no charge by Hendersonville Tree Board to 12 Green Meadows homeowners who signed up to participate in its NeighborWoods program, the 36 healthy saplings will also serve to celebrate the 30 years that the City of Hendersonville has passed requirements to be honored as a Tree City USA by the national Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.  (Rain date for the event is April 17.)

At 10 a.m. at 807 Robinson Terrace, the residents will receive the trees which they have agreed to plant, maintain, and care for so they will thrive and increase the urban-forest tree cover in the City and their neighborhood.  Tree Board members will be on hand, and Tom Wooten, director of Public Works, will reveal the new Tree City USA flag, new 30-year markers to be added to signs around town, and a plaque the City received honoring its 30-year status as a Tree City USA.

“Our 30^th year as a recipient of the Tree City USA Award is a huge accomplishment,” Wooten said, “since it reflects our city’s commitment to effective urban forest management. In addition to the nice plaque and new 30 year stickers that will go on our signs as you enter town, our new, large Tree City USA Flag will soon proudly fly at Four Seasons Rotary Park on 1^st Avenue West.”

This is the second round of trees to be planted at Green Meadows through the NeighborWoods program, making a total of 48 trees that will be enjoyed for years in the neighborhood. Debbie Roundtree, a member of Hendersonville Tree Board, who organized her friends and neighbors around the benefits of the NeighborWoods project, said “I am happy that Green Meadows neighbors are interested and willing to commit to this program. We all will benefit from shade trees that will provide cooling effect and soften the landscape. The NeighborWoods project is good for the City and neighborhoods, too.”

“Tree City USA communities like Hendersonville see the impact of an urban forest firsthand,” Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation, wrote in a letter accompanying the award. “The trees being planted and cared for by Hendersonville are ensuring that generations to come will enjoy a better quality of life. Additionally, this program brings residents together and creates a sense of civic pride, whether it’s through volunteer engagement or public education. If ever there was a time for trees, now is that time. Communities worldwide are facing issues with air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, energy use, and protection from extreme heat and flooding.”

More than 250 trees have been planted in Hendersonville through the NeighborWoods program since 2010, including projects in Hyman Heights Historic Neighborhood where 35 new trees were added to the numerous “historic” trees in the neighborhood; Hendersonville Community Co-op where more than 14 trees and numerous pollinator plants and shrubs were installed to enhance the storm water wetland behind the new storefront;  84 American dogwoods installed on properties along Fifth Avenue West, creating a beautiful springtime display; Regal Oaks affordable-housing project for senior citizens, where at least 10 fig and cherry trees were planted; a project in Green Meadows which included fruit and nut trees; Druid Hills Historic Neighborhood, where 35 trees were planted at homes and in the neighborhood’s Keith Park; and most recently, 34 trees were planted at a new development, Oklawaha Village, on North Main St.  The City was named 2018 Tree City of the Year in North Carolina due to such citizen-supported programs.

Donations to the NeighborWoods Tree Fund can be made through Community Foundation of Henderson County to help keep the popular tree-planting program thriving.  The funds are used by Hendersonville Tree Board to purchase trees for residents to plant in yards, at businesses, in neighborhood green spaces, and where needed.  The Tree Board’s program aims to assist residents to plant and maintain trees for health, beauty, wildlife, and to increase our urban forest coverage.      

To learn more about the NeighborWoods Project and how individuals and organizations can participate, or to make a donation to the NeighborWoods Tree Fund, visit the Tree Board website at www.hvlnc.gov/neighborwoods-projects.   Or email treeboard@hvlnc.gov.  For more information about the requirements for being a Tree City USA visit www.arborday.org