Volunteers needed Saturday to dig holes in Latonia
COVINGTON, Ky. – The celebration of Arbor Day will last eight days in the City of Covington, beginning with a neighborhood planting this Saturday and ending the following weekend with a seedling giveaway at a de facto festival focused on trees.
Meanwhile, the national Arbor Day Foundation has named Covington a Tree City USA for the 19th year in a row and gave it a Tree City Growth Award for the seventh year in a row.
Covington is awaiting word on whether it will again be named a Tree City of the World, a designation only 37 U.S. cities received last year, and no others in Kentucky, Urban Forester Patrick Moore said.
“The various Tree City honors recognize Covington’s significant investment in its tree canopy as a way to improve the health and aesthetics of the community,” Moore said. “This community values its trees and green spaces, and we will see that passion over the next two Saturdays.”
The events:
Volunteer Street Tree Planting, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 22. Meet about 8:45 a.m. in the back parking lot of Latonia Elementary School, 3901 Huntington Ave.
Volunteers will plant about 40 trees along Decoursey Avenue and 39th Street, Moore said. Species will include Serviceberry, Persian Ironwood, hackberry, and Black Gum – the latter two trees only where there aren’t power lines overhead.
Volunteers should wear old clothes and boots or heavy shoes, and bring tools and gloves if they have them. The event will happen rain or shine. Refreshments will be provided by Keep Covington Beautiful.
“This is really a fun event, and you can see the benefits for years to come as these trees grow up and spread out,” Moore said.
The event is sponsored by the Covington Urban Forestry Board and the City’s Urban Forestry Division.
Linden Day Community Celebration, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 29, at Historic Linden Grove Cemetery & Arboretum, 401 W. 13th St.
The event will include guided tours of the 22-acre cemetery, which is a Level 1 arboretum … a tree planting … free promotional giveaways … a plant sale … and music. About 600 tree seedlings – “whips” about a foot long – will also be given away, Moore said, with a limit of two per person. Species include Kentucky Coffeetree, Roughleaf Dogwood, Silky Dogwood, Pawpaws, Bald Cypress, and Eastern Redbud.
Partnering on the event are the Cemetery, Bartlett Tree Experts, the Forestry Board, and the Residents of Westside neighborhood group.
“It's an opportunity to bring the community together and celebrate the beauty and importance of nature,” said Emily Paver, vice chair of the Linden Grove Board of Overseers, in Linden Grove’s release. “We hope that everyone will come out to learn something new, take home some free tree seedlings, and explore this unique urban greenspace… right in the heart of Covington."
For more about public trees in Covington, see the Covington Urban Forestry webpage. Information includes a tree inventory map, the City’s Landmark Tree Program, the benefits of trees, and rules governing trees in public spaces and on private property.
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