Projects Add Trees to County Parks

Posted on by Bill Sublette

Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards and members of this year’s CATS training class have added nearly 50 trees to Albemarle County parklands in recent weeks.

On November 5, 30 trainees and 17 CATS mentors planted 22 trees at Darden Towe Park, including black gums (Nyssa sylvatica), white oaks (Quercus alba), tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera), Kentucky coffee trees (Gymnocladus dioicus), eastern redbuds (Cercis canadensis) and Osage orange trees (Maclura pomifera).

On November 12, 21 CATS members and trainees, along with three student volunteers from U.Va. and three community volunteers from the Crozet area, planted 19 trees at Mint Springs Valley Park. Among them were bald cypresses (Taxodium distichum), sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and swamp white oaks (Quercus bicolor), as well as tulip trees and black gums. Earlier, several CATS volunteers planted two Osage oranges and four Kentucky coffee trees at Mint Springs.

The Tree Stewards worked with the Albemarle County Parks and Recreation Department to select the tree species and planting locations. Many thanks to County parks staff for preparing the planting holes and for providing water and mulch for the projects, which were made possible by a Virginia Trees for Clean Water grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry.

Below, tree planting at Darden Towe Park. Photos by JoAnn Dalley. 

 

 

Below, tree planting at Mint Springs Valley Park

 

 

 

Tree Stewards Hold Another Successful Tree Sale

Posted on by Bill Sublette

Unfazed by intermittent rain from Hurricane Ian, the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards held another successful Tree Sale on Saturday, October 1. The smooth and well-organized operation provided a total of 334 young, mostly native trees to members of the community. Every tree was purchased. Held on the grounds of the Virginia Department of Forestry’s headquarters, where CATS volunteers maintain a tree nursery, the sale offered small trees and shrubs such as American Beautyberry,  Red Osier Dogwood, and Blackhaw Viburnum; medium-sized trees such as Pagoda Dogwood, Fringe Tree and Downy Serviceberry; and large trees such as Bald Cypress, White Oak, Willow Oak and Sycamore. The Tree Stewards also offered materials for protecting newly planted trees from deer browsing and other damage from wildlife.

 

Come to Our Fall Tree Sale

Posted on by Bill Sublette

 Rain is predicted but the sale will take place!   We have canopies and coverage for customers in line.  Please join us between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday, October 1, for the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards’ Fall Tree Sale. The sale will take place on the grounds of the Virginia Department of Forestry’s headquarters in the Fontaine Research Park at 900 Natural Resources Drive in Charlottesville.

CATS volunteers maintain a tree nursery where we nurture young trees obtained from the Virginia Department of Forestry and other sources. We concentrate on native trees, some of which are hard to find from plant retailers, and we make them available to the community at prices ranging from $5 to $15.

Come take advantage of this opportunity to add healthy trees to your landscape. We look forward to seeing you there.