Volunteers have joined the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and partners in planting more than 100 trees in Hopewell this fall, and this coming weekend will give away 200 trees to residents to plant at home. The new trees will reduce polluted runoff to the James and Appomattox Rivers, cast summertime shade, clean the air and water, and beautify neighborhoods. CBF used GIS mapping to target tree plantings in areas with little tree cover and large areas of concrete and asphalt that increase summer temperatures and polluted runoff.
“We’re entering our fourth year of working to green the beautiful City of Hopewell with native trees and plants. It’s a perfect place to do this. In a small city you can easily create big community benefits with trees, including cooler summer temperatures, greener streets, and cleaner and air water,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Director of Outreach and Advocacy Ann Jurczyk. “Virginia loses an astounding 16,000 acres of trees per year to development, disease, and storms. Hopewell is planting hope for the future by growing hundreds of trees where people need them the most.”
CBF, dozens of volunteers including service members from Fort Lee, and partners including the Hopewell Recreation and Parks Department, planted 40 trees on Nov. 7 at Riverside Park, 44 along streets surrounding West End Presbyterian Church on Oct. 24, and four conservation gardens at homes on Oct. 17.
Free Redbud Trees Available on Nov. 14
Residents can pick up one of 200 free redbud trees for planting at home at Woodlawn Learning Center on Saturday, Nov. 14. That same day at Woodlawn, volunteers will plant a new community orchard of 25 fruit and native shade trees under an effort by the Hopewell Recreation and Parks Foundation supported by a Department of Forestry Trees for Clean Water Grant.
“Hopewell Recreation and Parks is proud to partner with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to improve environmental quality across the City of Hopewell,” said Hopewell Recreation and Parks Director Aaron Reidmiller. “The Hopewell Restoration Project, a collaborative effort between the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Hopewell Recreation and Parks, and other city departments, was recently recognized as the Best New Environmental Sustainability Program by the Virginia Recreation and Park Society.”
“The work of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Hopewell Recreation and Parks is an example of the collaborative effort necessary to make significant environmental improvements that will positively impact generations to come,” said Reidmiller.
For the last four years, CBF has worked to green Hopewell with hundreds of trees, train and establish a group of community tree stewards, and work closely with residents to increase tree cover with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Small Watershed Grant program.
