TreesDavidson, a group of local volunteers dedicated to enhancing Davidson’s tree canopy, is planning a tree planting event in the McConnell neighborhood on October 27th. Following a successful planting event on Lakeside Avenue in April of this year, the McConnell event is the group’s 2nd planting, and will be followed by another event on Davidson’s west side on November 2nd.
Inspired by TreesCharlotte, a non-profit led by former Catawba Lands Conservancy Executive Director Dave Cable, TreesDavidson includes local residents Gordon Clark, Irvin Brawley, Rodney Graham, Ron Walters and John Kennedy, as well as Davidson Lands Conservancy Executive Director Roy Alexander. The group is being incubated by the Davidson Lands Conservancy.
“Right now our goal is simple: plant trees,” said Clark, who is also the owner of the Davidson Village Inn. “We have a lot of ambitious plans for the future, but right now we just want to get the community engaged in planting trees. As we get more volunteers, we’ll branch out (pun intended) into other areas such as education.”
The McConnell event is unique in that the group will be removing some existing trees as well as planting new ones. Explains McConnell resident Irvin Brawley: “In the early days of the McConnell development, a number of London Plane (a hybrid of an American Sycamore and an Oriental Plane Tree) trees were planted. While this variety usually tolerates urban conditions well, the London Plane trees in McConnell have not done well.” Adds Ron Walters, also a McConnell resident: “Aside from the aesthetic issues with the dying London Plane trees, many of our neighbors are frustrated that leaves begin to turn brown and fall as early as July, with clean-up continuing throughout the fall season. Partnering with TreesDavidson to replace the neighborhood trees has everyone very excited and is a great way to pull families together for a common cause to improve McConnell and Davidson.”
TreesDavidson is partnering with the McConnell HOA as well as Layton’s Tree Service to offer a discounted price for removing the London Plane tree, then replacing it with a red maple or willow oak of significant size. The group anticipates planting about 50 new maples and oaks, which over time will improve the tree canopy in McConnell.
The group is also planning another event on November 2nd in the Westside Terrace neighborhood of Davidson. This event, which is being sponsored by Ingersoll-Rand, will see about 30 cherry trees being planted, adding to 16 cherry and oak trees that were planted in the community in April. If you’d like to help out with this event, please e-mail TreesDavidson at davidsonlands@gmail.com.
TO VOLUNTEER: Click on the ‘Volunteer’ tab on our website, then indicate ‘TreesDavidson’ in the drop down box. If you’re interested in a specific planting event, write it in the comment field. Thank you.
TO DONATE: Donations made be made to TreesDavidson on the Davidson Lands Conservancy website. Simply select ‘TreesDavidson’ from the drop down box to direct your donation to TreesDavidson. It takes about $125 to plant one 3″ caliper (10-15 feet high) tree.