(Danville) — Folks took advantage of the cool weather this weekend to get a jump on Earth Day at Ballou Park. They held a reforestration project on Saturday that drew dozens of volunteers and several local civic groups.
Corey Riedel with Virginia Cooperative Extension says they teamed with Parks and Recreation and others to try and help reverse a national trend. “Across the United States, we have lost trees at an alarming rate at almost four million trees in the last year,” Riedel told Danville City Council at a recent meeting announcing the event. “In Virginia we’ve lost almost 10,000 acres between 2014 and 2018 and that was mostly due to development.
Riedel says the numbers suggest that the urbanization of Virginia is coming at an environmental cost. “We are seeing tree losses due to population growth, due to land conversion accommodating both commercial and residential projects,” Riedel said. “Cities are also losing older and established trees through the cumulative impacts of land development, storms, diseases, old age and other environmental and non-environmental factors.”
And Riedel says from coast-to-coast, more urban areas are discovering the sometimes-hidden environmental benefits that trees bring. “They provide shade that moderates heat islands. They reduce the effects of flash floods. They reduce pollutants in our water. And they support biodiversity in wildlife,” Riedel explained.
A $17,000 Clean Water grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry paid for the purchase eight new trees that volunteers planted in the northern end of Ballou Park. Volunteers planted 8-to-10-foot tall red oaks, magnolias, black gums and berry trees.
By one count, Ballou Park has lost more than a hundred large trees over the past five years from major storms. “It’s mostly because a lot of those trees are more than a hundred years old. When we have these big storms come in, they knock them down,” Riedel said. “So we need to remove those trees and plant new trees.”
In addition to the protection from erosion and filting out pollutant, Riedel sas trees also provide nesting for birds and food for caterpillars, squirrels and others. And Riedel says we need these benefits more now than ever. “We are growing. We are taking steps in the right direction to become a better city. But I think we need to consider these environmental issues before we move forward,” Reidel said.
Riedel says they plan to make this an annual event, being held at other parks in Danville.
(Photo courtesy Danville Parks and Recreation)