Rivercities Garden Club

Meeting 1/6/02

Program - Shreveport Green

Donna Curtis - Shreveport Green, Arbor Day

The purpose of Shreveport Green is to make Shreveport a better community.

Get place cleaned up. Shreveport 88% cleaner than several years ago.

Index is 2.2 - slightly littered, other areas are awful.

Recycle trees - used for coastal erosion abatement.

Do education re recycling

Arbor day

Annual tree planting day across the country is celebrated as Arbor Day. The celebration was started in Nebraska, an oasis in the middle of nothing by J Sterling Morton who was the Sevretary of Interior in 1800's and the owner of the Morton salt Co.

For Shreveport Green this year 2002 is the Year of the Tree.

Three years drought, and ice storms, have impacted Shreveport's tree canopy. A lot of neighborhoods now so old that the trees are starting to die such as those in the Highland area. Water Oaks are not the best, fragile, are starting to die. In South Higlands the trees were planted in the 20's. Aging trees are not being replaced. It is one of the goals of Shreveport Green to reestablish tree growth where the trees are going to be compromized in the future.

The Right Tree in the Right Place.

Ecconomic benefit.

• Increase property value 5 to 20%

• Decrease in energy costs.

• Storm water runoff is reduced.

Environmental benefit

• Trees moderate climate

• Improve air quality,

• Harbor wildlife

Community

• Enhance enviorment, screen or enhance a view.

• Complement archietecture

Social Benefits

• Calming effect on people

• Crime less in areas where there is lots of trees

• Enhance enviornment.

Projects:

Tree Legacy Program - births, death, etc. can be recorded by the planting of a tree.

[Home][Top][RCGC Meetings]