A chilly first day of spring welcomed over 40 enthusiastic volunteers ready to plant 60 trees at Abersham Park in Davidson to celebrate Arbor Day. TreesDavidson, a program of Davidson Lands Conservancy (DLC), co-hosted this community tree planting event with the Town of Davidson. This was the first TreesDavidson event of the 2021 planting season.

Volunteers came from several local groups including Christ the King Catholic High School, Davidson College, Davidson Rotary Club, and various local families.  Each volunteer was oriented to proper tree planting techniques by one of the 8 red hat TreeMasters on-hand to share their expertise.

Participants planted 10-, 15- and 25-gallon containerized trees, surrounding the lower parking lot and pavilion area leading to the greenway entrance. Tree species include redbud, red oak, yellow wood, swamp bay, black gum, dawn redwood, and blue atlas cedar. TreesDavidson focuses on community tree plantings by expanding the tree canopy and also diversifying our urban forests for resiliency.

New signs and a flag were on display signifying the Town of Davidson’s 10-year designation as Tree City USA, a program from the Arbor Day Foundation.

Matthew Zagar, a senior at Christ the King Catholic High School and dedicated volunteer at the last three TreesDavidson events commented, “These community planting events provide great opportunities to learn about trees and have fun while making a difference that will last for generations. The volunteers were able to plant 60 trees in a few hours and were ready for more”.

TreesDavidson is part of DLC’s urban forestry conservation pillar.  Other conservation pillars of the Conservancy include land conservation and stewardship, expanding greenways and trails, and preserving wildlife corridors.