Hundreds of people collected free tree seedlings to plant at home
By Kassie Simmons | March 15, 2021 at 5:18 PM EDT – Updated March 15 at 7:29 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Hundreds of Wilmington residents lined up at Legion Stadium Monday to get a chance to boost their landscaping game.
Every year, our area loses several trees to hurricanes and other severe storms. Forest management supervisor Aaron Reese says that not only diminishes the number of trees providing oxygen, but it hurts the community in other ways as well.
In an area that sees heavy rainfall and hot summers, trees can help reduce stormwater runoff while also providing a shady spot to get out of the sun.
After losing their own trees to storms in the past, residents were more than ready to become part of the solution by planting a tree in their own yard.
“I think we’re set to be here until three, so we’ll probably be out or very close to out by then,” said Reese. “We’ve had a very good response to the giveaways. The reception to the planted trees — the ones the city has planted and the several nonprofits planting trees — [they] have been very well received.”
At the beginning of last year, the Wilmington Tree Initiative set a goal of planting over 1,700 trees in the city by the end of 2021. That goal was reached months ago and the city plans on planting more in the future.
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