Commonwealth Times

Media Credit: Christen Duxbury Working on land prepared by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, volunteers plant red maple and dogwood seedlings. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Christen Duxbury Three friends work together to plant one of the final 300 seedlings. [Click to enlarge]

[Click to enlarge]

Community members interested in reducing the city's carbon emissions planted 300 seedlings at Broad Rock Park in Southside during Saturday's "cool cities" event.

Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, who in August 2006 signed the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement, supported the planting as a way to make Richmond more carbon-neutral.

Since signing the agreement, Wilder and the Cool Cities Committee have worked together on efforts, such as the tree planting, to fulfill the goal of reducing carbon dioxide pollution to 7 percent less than 1990 levels by 2012.

Planting trees is not a new initiative, said J.R. Pope, director of the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, after he thanked the 45 volunteers.

"We're starting something that people have been doing for years," he said.

Not only do trees provide beauty and shade, but they also serve a more environmentally beneficial purpose, explained one volunteer.

"Trees sequester carbon on their own," said Bud Watson, an adjunct instructor of environmental studies at VCU, as he dug a hole for his seedling.

He said many cities look only to cutting automobile and industry emissions as ways to reduce carbon levels. They need to look into planting trees, he said, because it is a win-win situation.

Before planting began, Mike Mather of the Department of Public Works' Urban Forestry Division told the volunteers how to plant the seedlings so they will flourish before they are transplanted to local parks in about two years.

Volunteers from schools, churches and neighborhoods showed up to help make a positive impact on the community.

"We were looking to find a way to help the community, and someone found this event," said Barrett Clark, a graduate of Virginia Tech who lives in Richmond. He came with a group of friends from church, some of whom came all the way from Maryland to plant the trees.

Frito-Lay donated the 150 dogwoods and 150 red maples as part of its tree giveaway award that Tyla Matteson, who works for the Cool Cities Committee, applied for and received. She said the event was part of a tree-planting initiative hosted by the United Nations Environmental Program, called the Billion Tree Project.

"The idea is to plant a lot of trees around the world to try and absorb the carbon," Matteson said.

After volunteers planted the trees, Matteson said it takes more than just planting to make an impact.

"Just putting a tree in the ground doesn't make you a tree steward," she said. "You have to water it, take care of it (and) come check on it."

Pope said he was hoping to train volunteers from the group so they could drive the watering truck and take care of the trees. He hopes that volunteers will take an interest in looking after their trees.

"You people put your sweat equity into (these trees)," he said. "You didn't just stand there. … You got your knees dirty."

The tree planting was a combined effort of Richmond Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, which found the planting site and prepared the soil, the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

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Media Credit: Christen Duxbury Working on land prepared by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, volunteers plant red maple and dogwood seedlings. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Christen Duxbury Three friends work together to plant one of the final 300 seedlings. [Click to enlarge]

[Click to enlarge]

Community members interested in reducing the city's carbon emissions planted 300 seedlings at Broad Rock Park in Southside during Saturday's "cool cities" event.

Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, who in August 2006 signed the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement, supported the planting as a way to make Richmond more carbon-neutral.

Since signing the agreement, Wilder and the Cool Cities Committee have worked together on efforts, such as the tree planting, to fulfill the goal of reducing carbon dioxide pollution to 7 percent less than 1990 levels by 2012.

Planting trees is not a new initiative, said J.R. Pope, director of the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, after he thanked the 45 volunteers.

"We're starting something that people have been doing for years," he said.

Not only do trees provide beauty and shade, but they also serve a more environmentally beneficial purpose, explained one volunteer.

"Trees sequester carbon on their own," said Bud Watson, an adjunct instructor of environmental studies at VCU, as he dug a hole for his seedling.

He said many cities look only to cutting automobile and industry emissions as ways to reduce carbon levels. They need to look into planting trees, he said, because it is a win-win situation.

Before planting began, Mike Mather of the Department of Public Works' Urban Forestry Division told the volunteers how to plant the seedlings so they will flourish before they are transplanted to local parks in about two years.

Volunteers from schools, churches and neighborhoods showed up to help make a positive impact on the community.

"We were looking to find a way to help the community, and someone found this event," said Barrett Clark, a graduate of Virginia Tech who lives in Richmond. He came with a group of friends from church, some of whom came all the way from Maryland to plant the trees.

Frito-Lay donated the 150 dogwoods and 150 red maples as part of its tree giveaway award that Tyla Matteson, who works for the Cool Cities Committee, applied for and received. She said the event was part of a tree-planting initiative hosted by the United Nations Environmental Program, called the Billion Tree Project.

"The idea is to plant a lot of trees around the world to try and absorb the carbon," Matteson said.

After volunteers planted the trees, Matteson said it takes more than just planting to make an impact.

"Just putting a tree in the ground doesn't make you a tree steward," she said. "You have to water it, take care of it (and) come check on it."

Pope said he was hoping to train volunteers from the group so they could drive the watering truck and take care of the trees. He hopes that volunteers will take an interest in looking after their trees.

"You people put your sweat equity into (these trees)," he said. "You didn't just stand there. … You got your knees dirty."

The tree planting was a combined effort of Richmond Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, which found the planting site and prepared the soil, the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

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