Photo: Walkers learned about trees in the Austinburg neighborhood on a previous tour last September.
Urban Forestry, UK to lead walking tour Saturday
COVINGTON, Ky. – Expect to see some unique trees on Saturday when Covington’s Urban Forestry Program partners with the Kenton County Extension Office for it’s Urban Tree Walk: Latonia/Milldale.
The tour runs from 10 a.m. to noon on Sept.9, in the Latonia/Milldale neighborhood, and, like all Urban Forestry’s tree walks, will present interesting and informative insights about the benefits trees provide to improve the quality of life in Covington neighborhoods, as well as point out some particularly interesting trees along the neighborhood’s streets.
The tour will be led by Covington’s Urban Forester Patrick Moore and Brandon George from the Kenton County Cooperative Extension Office. Participants should plan to meet at Holy Cross Catholic Church at 3612 Church St.
“A unique street tree that we’ll see on the walk, that we don’t commonly see, is the Ohio Buckeye, said Moore.
Participants will also learn about the region’s invasive tree species and come to understand why it’s important to avoid planting them in the future. Moore and George will also point out key distinctions among species.
“One of the trees we’ll see on the walk is a massive native red mulberry,” said Moore, pointing out that many might associate the mulberry with invasive trees.
“It’s important to know that there are different species of mulberry,” said Moore. “Many states have white mulberry listed as an exotic invasive species, as does Kentucky. We’ll see one of these on our walk too. Unfortunately for native red mulberry, we are seeing less and less of them due to hybridization with white mulberry trees that are outcompeting them over time.”
In addition to the education aspect, the tour will also appeal to those just seeking an afternoon stroll, Moore said.
The event is free, but folks should register here.
Moore said residents can stay on top of the array of programming offered by the Kenton County Cooperative Extension Office at https://kenton.ca.uky.edu/events.
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