The Arboretum supports Trees4Trash program

I admire Herman Hesse’ words, “For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfill themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree.”

We have some unique tree opportunities for you coming soon. First, the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees is providing 1500 container-grown trees of 20 different species to replace trees lost to Hurricane Florence to local residents. This distribution is made possible by a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation and Enterprise Rent-a-Car Foundation. These trees will be distributed free of charge from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 in the parking lot of Legion Stadium, 2149 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington (or as long as they last). Those who want to pick up trees should turn at the stoplight at Southern Boulevard, marked by a large banner. Help is available in the selection of the trees, along with educational materials to take home. An individual may chose two, and a household, three or four.

The educational materials available will include Tree Owner’s Manuals from the N.C. Urban Forest Council and single page Arbor Day Foundation instructions on how to plant a tree correctly. A display board will show the various tree species at maturity, and a manual about specifics on soil, placement, and other details related to proper selection and successful growth will be available to review.

The oaks available will include swamp white, swamp chestnut, nuttal, pin, willow, shumard and post. Some other native tree species offered will include sweetgum, sweetbay magnolia, blackgum, hophornbeam and sourwood. A fruiting Persimmon and flowering redbud, fringetree and dogwood are also on the menu. Trident maple, allegheny serviceberry, sugarberry, and hackberry round out the selection. So, do some homework to find the best match for your soil and site conditions. Is the location appropriate with regards to structures and utilities for the mature size? Is the soil well drained or does it remain wet much of the year? What is the exposure to sun and wind? Knowing these answers will help select the right trees for you.

Secondly, the Plastic Ocean Project - Trees4Trash program, plants one tree for every 25 pounds of trash. With over four tons of trash removed in this collaborative effort, the planting moves to the New Hanover County landfill from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. Bare root seedlings of shortleaf and loblolly pine, black walnut, red maple, silky dogwood and white oak will be planted. Teams of volunteers will carry seedlings in buckets to keep roots moist, and use dibble bars – heavy steel tools made just for large scale planting of seedlings, with a special technique for efficient, effective planting. Hundreds of young trees will be planted on top of a capped landfill, fulfilling the program’s mission, “Trees4Trash restores natural habitat by removing what doesn’t belong and replacing it with what does.” Care to join us as a volunteer tree planter? All are welcome; contact Bonnie@PlasticOceanProject.org if you can assist.

Revere trees as they stand alone in your yard or in a new forest atop a landfill. Plan to bring more trees into your life and region as we work together to restore our valuable tree canopy. If you can’t participate in one of these two local events, come enjoy the collection of beautiful, healthy trees at the Arboretum, free and open every day for daylight hours.

Lloyd Singleton is director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Center for New Hanover County, located at the Arboretum, 6206 Oleander Drive. Reach him at lsingleton@nhcgov.com or 910-798-7660.