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Local residents, schools celebrate Arbor Day
At a height of 65 feet, the live oak tree is believed to be 1,400 years old. It stands in a wooded area on John's Island outside Charleston. Jane Waters, a local soil and water commissioner, brought along a picture of the Angel Oak tree for Goucher Elementary students to view Friday morning at an Arbor Day program. Students were given pine seedlings from the Cherokee Soil and Water Conservation District to take home and plant in honor of Arbor Day, a holiday where individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. Waters visited Goucher Elementary to conduct a new program called "Fourth Grade Foresters" held by the Cherokee Soil and Water Conservation District. "This is an education program we want to do in elementary schools to teach students about the value of trees and the role that trees play in the environment," said Karen Allen, district coordinator for the Cherokee Soil and Water Conservation District. Trees provide more benefits to the environment than just looking nice in a yard. Trees help cool homes in summer and protect them from winter winds. They provide a place for wildlife to live and help prevent erosion. The Cherokee Soil and Water Conservation District and S.C. Department of Natural Resources made one lasting contribution before this year's Arbor Day came to an end. A red maple tree was planted Friday afternoon in the courtyard behind Peachtree Centre. Nursing home residents drank hot chocolate and kept a close eye on the action from the balcony inside the Peachtree Centre activities center. "This was an Arbor Day for the young and old in the community to get involved in planting new trees," Allen said. |
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