Over three days in mid-September, Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards weeded and mulched some 80 trees at the native tree arboretum on the grounds of the Virginia Department of Forestry at the Fontaine Research Park. Undaunted by humidity and scattered showers, the CATS volunteers maintained a safe distance from one another and wore masks when not working alone.
Over the past six years, CATS has collaborated with the Department of Forestry to plant 35 native tree species on this site, including sassafras, silverbell, yellowwood, river birch and an American chestnut hybrid designed to resist the devastating chestnut blight. Many of the trees are labeled with QR codes that allow visitors to go online and learn more about the species.
For a virtual tour of the arboretum, watch this Arbor Day video featuring our friends Lara Johnson and Molly O’Liddy, the urban and community forestry staffers at VDOF. It includes instructions on how to use the QR code labels. Or visit the arboretum in person and take a pathway around the property that links to Charlottesville’s Rivanna Trail.
