For the spring 2021 planting season, Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church hosted a Carla Hardy WV CommuniTree planting within common areas located throughout Shepherdstown, West Virginia. In total, 34 community volunteers participated in the project, including 20 adults and 3 youth volunteers, donating a total of 106 volunteer hours.
The CommuniTree planting occurred on April 18 and the community quickly got to work after receiving a captivating presentation from Trees 101’s, Shawn Walker, about the native trees, the benefit of native trees, and how to properly plant and maintain these trees. The volunteers and community members were thrilled with the automatic improvement in the community, with neighbors stopping by during the planting to state how thrilled they were to see trees being planted in places that other trees once occupied. With this planting, the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church improved the aesthetics of the community, decreased stormwater runoff and increased urban tree canopy. Along with these benefits, project leader, Than Hitt, stated that the spring 2021 CommuniTree planting effectively helped to expand public spaces throughout the town, “essentially making our small town a [little] bit bigger.”
To find out more about this CommuniTree planting, or to learn more about how you can host a CommuniTree planting of your own, please contact CTree@CacaponInstitute.org!
