JAMES CITY COUNTY — James City County launched a decade-long effort to expand its tree canopy Oct. 10, planting seven native trees at Veterans Park as the first step toward a countywide goal of planting 10,000 trees.
ReTree JCC initiative aims to strengthen the county’s tree canopy through new plantings, caring for existing ones and partnerships with residents, schools, businesses and organizations.
“We’re here to plant the seeds of the future … growing a greener, healthier, more resilient county,” said Sarah O’Reilly, James City County’s park operations manager, during the ceremony.
Board of Supervisors Chair John McGlennon said the initiative was inspired in part by an article about a Scottish community that planted 5 million trees over 10 years.
“If they could do 5 million, we could certainly do 100,000,” McGlennon said, emphasizing the need to restore tree cover that has been lost to development. He also pointed to future opportunities for volunteers to remove invasive trees and vines and replace them with native species.
Vice Chair Ruth Larson praised the initiative’s potential to improve the county’s landscape for future generations and credited the volunteers and community partners for supporting it.
Project lead Judy Kinshaw-Ellis, a master gardener, said she helped plant more than 3,500 trees in the county. She emphasized providing residents with seedlings and helping them establish healthy growth.
“If we can get tree seedlings in the hands of our citizens who will plant them up and nurture them for a season or two, they will have a really good chance of surviving,” Kinshaw-Ellis said.
Finding native trees remains a challenge, she said. The seven trees planted at Veterans Park came from four suppliers.
Peggy Krapf, owner of Hearts Ease Farm, donated native and ornamental flower seeds for attendees to take home. The James City County-Williamsburg Master Gardeners offered tree-planting advice and children’s activities, while the Virginia Master Naturalists’ Historic Rivers Chapter hosted an acorn-collection station and displayed tree cross-sections.
O’Reilly said the initiative does not yet have a formal budget, but opportunities for grants are emerging. A Virginia Department of Forestry grant will support plantings at the Williamsburg Sports Complex, she said.
