INC NEWS - Durham Hosts Tree Planting to Celebrate "Tree City USA" Award

[Blalock, Amy]

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

 

 

News Release

 

For Details, Contact:

Amy C. Blalock

Senior Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at durhamnc.gov <mailto:Amy.Blalock at durhamnc.gov> 

 

For Immediate Release:  November 29, 2007

 

Durham Receives Nationally Recognized "2007 Tree City USA" Award for
25th Consecutive Year

Special Tree Planting to Celebrate Award and Arbor Day December 1

 

Durham, N.C. - On Saturday, December 1, 2007, the City of Durham will
celebrate its 25th consecutive year of recognition as a national "2007
Tree City USA" from the National Arbor Day Foundation (NADF).  

 

In honor of this recognition, and to mark the 2007-2008 tree planting
season, a special tree planting event will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday,
December 1 at 2800 Lexington Street in the Tuscaloosa-Lakewood
neighborhood.  As part of the event, sponsored by Guglhupf Bakery and
Foster's Market, neighborhood volunteers will work with City's Urban
Forestry Division of the Department of General Services to plant oak,
ash, beech and other trees, which have been donated through Keep Durham
Beautiful, Inc. (KDB), on the neighborhood's private properties. 

 

Because of City water restrictions, KDB will provide a large,
water-filled rain barrel for the neighborhood to use to water the trees
during their critical first year.  In addition, the Southwest Central
Durham Green Initiative has used a grant to purchase "gator bags," a
type of devise that provides constant, slow release of water to the root
of the tree, so that no water is wasted or lost to evaporation.  The
neighborhood volunteers will fill the bags with a combination of
collected rain water and City-approved "grey water" so that no municipal
water will be used.  

 

"The City's Department of General Services is excited about this
opportunity to partner with an active neighborhood group and Keep Durham
Beautiful.  Their cooperation has made it possible to plant these trees,
even in light of the current water concerns," said Kevin Lilly,
facilities operations manager for the City's Department of General
Services.  "This partnership provided an opportunity to plant donated
trees on private property in neighborhoods where the City right-of-way
does not provide adequate space for trees, yet trees are desperately
needed.  The actions of this neighborhood group are an excellent example
of what is possible when we work together, even in difficult times, to
plant trees to keep our community beautiful."  During the 2007-2008
planting season, the City's Urban Forestry Division will coordinate the
planting, as conditions allow, of the approximately 200 donated trees on
private property.

 

Even though the drought this summer and the continued water restrictions
have postponed the City's Street Tree Planting Partnership, residents
and neighborhood groups are encouraged to join this partnership now for
future planting opportunities.  "Our Urban Forestry staff receives
street tree planting requests throughout the year and these requests are
logged and honored when weather and resources make it possible," Lilley
said.  "So, even though we're in a drought now, when the water situation
is back to normal, we'll continue partnering with neighborhoods to
enhance the appearance and overall attractiveness of Durham by
identifying needs for street tree planting in the City."  Neighborhood
associations and residents interested in learning more about the City's
Street Tree Planting Partnership should visit the City's Web site at 
www.durhamnc.gov/departments/general/forestry.cfm. 

 

In addition to the tree planting event, Mayor Pro Tempore Cora
Cole-McFadden, on behalf of Mayor William V. "Bill" Bell, will declare
Saturday as "Arbor Day" in the City.  All Durham residents and the media
are invited to attend the tree planting.

 

In order to receive this year's recognition, the City met the four
standards to become a Tree City USA, including a tree board or
department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry
program and an Arbor Day observance.  The City is one of only 68 "Tree
Cities" in North Carolina.

 

"An effective community forestry program is an ongoing process of
renewal and improvement that Durham has been recognized for over the
past two decades," said Chris Boyer, interim director of the City's
Department of General Services.  "The Tree City USA award is another
excellent example that there is a solid foundation for the process of
improvement in the City of Durham."

 

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by NADF in cooperation with the
National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.  To
learn more about the Tree City USA program, visit 
www.arborday.org/programs/treeCityUSA.cfm.

 

About the City's Department of General Services

The City of Durham's Department of General Services provides timely,
cost-effective and high quality services in eight core business
functions: Administration, Cemeteries, Facilities Operations, Landscape
Services, Parking Contract Administration, Project Management, Real
Estate and Urban Forestry.  Project Management procures, supervises and
coordinates the design and construction of a wide range of City public
improvements.  Services provided include conducting feasibility studies,
project planning, contract document review and construction
administration for facility renovations, new facility construction and
park renovations.  For more information on this department, visit the
City's Web site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/general
<http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/general> . 

 

About Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc.

Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc. (KDB) is a non-profit, volunteer
organization working in partnership with the City and County of Durham
to bring private businesses, citizens and community organizations
together to conserve and enhance the appearance and environment of
Durham.  To learn more about KDB, visit the City's Web site at 
www.durhamnc.gov/departments/general/kdb.cfm or contact Dorothea Pierce,
executive director of KDB, at (919) 560-4197, extension 260 or via
e-mail at dorothea.pierce at durhamnc.gov.

 

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