HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2010-06-14 Catoctin tree planting
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jay Banks
Urban Forester
jbanks@leesburgva.gov
703‐771‐2713
Catoctin Elementary School Tree Planting Ceremony Planned
for Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Leesburg, VA (June 14, 2010) ‐ On Wednesday, June 16, 2010, at 1:30 p.m., the departing fifth
grade class of Catoctin Elementary School will plant and dedicate a tree to the school. This
event is the result of a joint effort between Catoctin Elementary School, the Catoctin PTA and
the Leesburg Tree Commission.
In development for several months, the tree planting is anticipated to be a model for an
ongoing program that will generate a steadily increasing tree canopy on school properties at no
cost to the schools or the Town of Leesburg. The trees will be purchased with locally donated
funds, with the assistance of the local PTAs, and the Leesburg Tree Commission will provide
technical support for site selection and preparation, species selection, care and maintenance.
The program was the brainchild of Leesburg Tree Commission member David Drupa, who has
acted as a facilitator between the Catoctin PTA, the school administrators and the
groundskeepers to make the program as simple as possible.
“Moving forward, we hope to select and plant these gift trees at the beginning of the school
year. Not only is fall the better planting season, but the students will have the entire school
year to gain a greater understanding of and connection to the planting and growth process.
They will be able to participate in caring for the trees and to watch the trees drop their leaves in
the fall and then bud and leaf in the spring,” explained David. “We want this program to have
both practical meaning, in terms of increased tree canopy in the Town, and symbolic meaning,
in terms of the student’s involvement.”
The tree being planted at Catoctin Elementary School is a Northern Red Oak, selected for its
rapid growth, tolerance of varied soil conditions and longevity potential. At maturity, the tree
will be between 90 and 140 feet tall. A species native to the Leesburg area, Northern Red Oak
trees have been known to live as long as 500 years.
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