Downtown Raleigh Alliance

Trees Across Raleigh (TAR), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the City of Raleigh's appearance by planting trees in public spaces, will hold its Fall Planting on Nash Square in downtown Raleigh, at Hargett and Dawson streets.

This planting is significant because some of the trees planted will be quite large, according to the organizers.

“It will be an exciting and very visible planting,” said volunteer Judy Harmon, a Raleigh-based landscape architect who has been involved in TAR since its inception.

A volunteer and donation-based non-profit organization, Trees Across Raleigh began in 1997 after Hurricane Fran destroyed so many of the city’s trees. The first planting project took place along Glenwood Avenue near Five Points to plant Chinese elms, oaks, and crape myrtles along the median from the Wade Avenue interchange north to The Circle.

Since then, over 4300 volunteers have planted more than 8000 trees in public rights-of-way, medians, and parks at a value of over $1 million.

Other Trees Across Raleigh plantings have improved the appearance of New Bern Avenue near Wake Medical Center, Millbrook Exchange Park, Fletcher Park, Chavis Park, Marsh Creek Park, Method Road Park, Biltmore Park, and Pullen Park. The annual spring planting was held this year in Honeycutt Park in North Raleigh.

The Fall Planting will start with doughnuts and coffee. Volunteers are advised to wear old clothes. TAR will furnish all the tools. If it rains that day, volunteers should check www.treesacrossraleigh.org. A rain date is scheduled for the following Saturday, November 1st.

Trees Across Raleigh, Inc. works with Raleigh’s Parks & Recreation Department. For more information, email dickiebell@mindspring.com.