United Way Day of Caring: Weeding and Mulching

A main directive of CATS is to plant trees.  And we do that. We have planted trees at parks, at community buildings, at schools and at other public places. 

We don’t just plant the trees and leave them to nature.  We want to assure their survival and optimum growth.  So, we continue through the years to provide care. During this time Throughout the year we will weed and mulch, prune, remove invasives and provide what other care is needed.   The area immediately around the tree is vital for its growth so we make a point of weeding and applying mulch.  We don’t want weeds/grass competing for nutrients and the mulch helps conserve moisture and ultimately adds nutrients.

These work days generally occur in the spring and fall.  In September, we weeded and mulched trees at 5 sites we had previously planted. These included:  Ivy Creek Natural Area, Department of Forestry grounds at Fontaine Park, Barracks Road Forest Restoration Project, Rives Park, and the Skate Park in McIntire Park.

Our contribution to the United Way Day of Caring Event is a morning of weeding and mulching the trees and trails around Greenleaf Park.   Included in this activity is weeding the Fern Garden that had been planted many years ago by CATS members.  The Garden was the vision of Camille Wilson and now has an amazing array of ferns.