Fresh off of its symposium on the loss of local tree canopy, Asheville GreenWorks recently planted ten large shade trees at Estes Elementary School in South Asheville.
Between 2008 and 2018, Asheville lost 891 acres of tree canopy, which is about 18,000 trees, according to the recently released Urban Tree Canopy Study. Nearly 400 people attended the “Climate Change and Asheville’s Urban Forest” symposium, where Asheville Greenworks set a goal of planting 50,000 trees in Asheville by 2040. Elementary school students helped plant the trees, and each grade will adopt two trees.
The trees at Estes will shade the school’s playground and parking lot and include river birch and sycamores. Asheville Greenworks Executive Director Dawn Chavez says, “Schools like Estes Elementary will lead the way in reaching our goal of planting 50,000 trees by 2040. School partnerships to plant more trees are key to combating the urban heat island effect while providing a beautiful natural environment for children to play and learn.”
Asheville City Council Member Vijay Kapoor, whose two children attend Estes and who funded the tree planting, commented, “Planting trees is one of the easiest and most effective ways to combat climate change, beautify Asheville, and reduce stormwater impacts. If you want to make an impact on our kids’ future, plant a tree today.”
Visit ashevillegreenworks.org for additional information.