Undeterred by rainy weather, The Savannah Tree Foundation (STF) and members of the Thunderbolt community gathered to plant white fringe trees in the greenspace of Owens, George and Leonard streets for Georgia Arbor Day on Friday, Feb. 18.
Living in Savannah, organizers say it’s easy to take one of our most treasured resources for granted---Trees. Live Oaks and Magnolias adorned in Spanish moss have become a symbol of the city, and attract tourists from around the world.
The Savannah Tree Foundation’s mission is to protect the city’s urban forest through tree planting, community engagement and advocacy.
In their 40 years, the Tree Foundation has planted around 4900 trees in Chatham county alone, and will continue to plant more this month.
“This month we have had a planting every Friday and Saturday. We try to go to every municipality in Chatham county because we focus on the equity of tree planting,” said Sydney Young, the field manager of STF.
Young says that planting the right tree in the right place is an essential practice that STF focuses on.
“We focus on what the area looks like, how much sunlight an area gets and whether or not there are any utilities nearby, like power lines,” said Young. “You might notice that the white fringe tree we planted was kind of close to a powerline. In this instance, it’s okay being closer to power lines because they’re smaller.”
Planting trees is an environmental investment that not only benefits us today but for future generations down the line.
Robert Seamans, Jr. the community forestry specialist for the Georgia Forestry Commission attended the event and understands the importance of planting trees for the future.
“I love to see trees going in the ground because we’re not necessarily just planting for you and me today. These trees will be around when our kids have their kids” said Seamans.
