Representatives from several local and regional groups happily got their hands and shovels dirty at a community tree planting held last week at Ellijay’s River Park.
Personnel from the Gilmer County Extension Office, the extension office’s Master Gardener Volunteers, the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) and Gilmer Parks and Recreation teamed up to plant a serviceberry tree in an area of River Park that’s seen some new botanical growth recently.
A Daffodil Project garden, which was planted last December in memory of children who died in the Holocaust, is now blooming inside the lower loop of the park’s walking path. The Autumn Brilliance serviceberry tree was planted near the daffodil garden, where it will have room to grow.
The ‘Autumn Brilliance’. variety is a smaller serviceberry tree, which can grow up to 25 feet tall and approximately 15 feet wide, noted Gilmer County Extension Agent Ashley Hoppers. One of the things that makes the tree a great addition to the park is it offers “multiseasonal interest,” she added.
“This tree has earned its namesake for its beautiful red fall color, but it also has lovely white flowers in spring. These flowers give way to small, round berries that turn red and dark purple upon maturity, and the berries serve as a food source for many of our songbirds and other wildlife in the winter when they become fully ripe,” Hoppers said. “Since it’s a native tree, we don’t need to exercise much effort to keep it happy. It does well in either full sun or partial shade.”
The newly planted tree was dedicated in memory of George T. Brown, father of local Master Gardener Volunteer Debbi Rupp, who was instrumental in creation of the daffodil garden, noted Hoppers.
Although held on Valentine’s Day, the park tree planting was actually done in recognition of Georgia Arbor Day, observed the third Friday in February.
“I can’t imagine how sad a community would be without trees,” said Hoppers when speaking at the event. “We plant trees today for our future generations. An arborist (colleague once told) me the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, but today will work.”
Arbor Day is nationally observed in April, but different states recognize the day of tree enthusiasm according to their own planting conditions. February is a perfect time to plant trees in Georgia, said Hoppers.
“Normally it would be cold and miserable, but today we are blessed with sunny weather,” she said. “Right now, (the trees) are dormant, so it’s a great time of year to go ahead and plant because the root system is still active so it gives the tree time to establish itself before the heat of summer, which is a stressful time for any tree.”
Before the tree planting commenced, Hoppers thanked parks and rec. staff for preparing the planting site and read a proclamation from Gov. Brian Kemp commemorating Georgia Arbor Day.
Ritchie Mullen, of the local forestry commission office, also spoke and gave a rundown of the GFC’s primary focus areas, which include stewardship, forest health, fire prevention and water quality.
“One of the big battles in our state right now is what I call the water wars, as we try to figure out how water is going to be supplied to every home in the state of Georgia. It’s a pretty big undertaking,” Mullen said.
As members of the different groups joined in shoveling dirt and mulch to secure the 15-gallon tree in the ground, Hoppers and Lea Clark, community forester for the GFC’s north Georgia region, provided educational tips on how to properly care for newly transplanted trees.
“Don’t use fertilizer when you plant because the tree goes into shock when you plant it. It’s got to adjust,” advised Clark. “If it’s lucky enough to have stored energy, fertilizer will take that and kind of goose it. You have to let the tree recover and get stabilized before you goose it into growing real fast. Unless something is broken or rubbing or is going to be a problem, don’t even prune the first year. Just let it be, then come back and start working on it.”
“We tend to over-love our plants,” added Hoppers. “We want them to do well so badly, we give them the moon, but they don’t need it. Trees are great scavengers, and there are plenty of nutrients that they can (take in).”
Hoppers said the community tree planting will be an annual event for Georgia Arbor Day.
“I’m a big fan of Arbor Day, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this important day than by getting the community together to celebrate and plant a tree together. I’m already looking forward to next year,” she added.