Celebrating Arbor Day

Many Arbor Day 2020 events were cancelled across the Commonwealth due to COVID-19. But Lara Johnson and Molly O’Liddy (the urban and community forestry team at the Virginia Department of Forestry) didn’t want to miss out on celebrating with our community! Join Lara and Molly for a short tour of the native tree arboretum at VDOF’s headquarters office in Charlottesville, VA.  For the past six years, VDOF has worked with volunteers from the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards to plant this arboretum which now includes 35 different native tree species.  Some of these trees are highlighted in the video, such as sassafras, silverbell, river birch, and the American chestnut.   Lara mentions the trail that encircles the VDOF headquarters where visitors can find many identified trees and habitats; this trail links to the Rivanna Trail around Charlottesville. Molly explains how trees are important for our mental and physical health and gives suggestions on activities that can be undertaken to celebrate trees and Arbor Day.

For more information about the Virginia Department of Forestry, visit: www.dof.virginia.gov.  The VDOF headquarters are located at 900 Natural Resources Drive, Charlottesville.

Recent News

Planting at Greenleaf Park.
On a foggy Saturday morning 9 CATS and 15 UVA student volunteers met at Greenleaf park to continue our work on forest restoration.  After planting 15 trees in 2005 and in the subsequent years removing invasive vines, in 2017 CATS began to restore the forest floor by planting ferns. As of this Saturday, 6 different varieties of ferns have been planted. Pathways were defined and trees were mulched to compete with the persistent invasive plants and return the forest to health. This is an ongoing project in cooperation with the City’s Parks and Recreation department. This 14 acre park is the most popular park in the City, we are happy to make it more enjoyable for its many visitors.

Recent News

McIntire Grove Workday March 30, 2019.
Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards had a productive and fun spring day! Participants included 19 UVA students in 2 service organizations (Alpha Phi Omega and Madison House), 12 CATS members, plus 2 Botanical Garden Board members. Planting, trimming and mattock lessons were given all around and then we planted 23 small trees, dug out and mulched a new trail and attacked the large invasive vines nearby.  What a hearty crew welcoming the beginning of spring!  Thanks all!