Cary Tree Archive Plants First Trees This Weekend

Cary, NC – Trees can stand for hundreds of years and develop a reputation and fondness from their surrounding community. A new project starting in Cary wants to share some of those notable trees and create some new ones, with the first trees to be planted this weekend.

The Cary Tree Archive’s logo. In Latin: “A Garden in the City Thence a City in the Garden.”

Trees in Cary

The Cary Tree Archive is a project to fill 6.5 acres of land with trees, lining the White Oak Creek Greenway, across from Cary Parkway starting at the Taylor Family YMCA. Archive founder George McDowell said members of the nearby Homeowners Association reached out to him to bring in trees to this open space.

“I thought, why not try and make this space special?” McDowell said.

To make it special, McDowell and volunteers want to plant seeds and seedlings from notable trees, which have either been standing for many years and have widespread notoriety or may be a tree that is important to a single family or individual.

“People can plant seedlings from their favorite trees,” McDowell said. “I envision this as a place where people may come and plant trees in memory of loved ones.”

Some of those more notable trees include a seed from the Davie Poplar at UNC-Chapel Hill, a seed from the Dawn Redwoods in California that surrounded world leaders who met after World War II and a seed from the 400-year-old Angel Oak on Johns Island in South Carolina.

“I want people to have an appreciation for nature by itself, with no buildings around,” McDowell said. “I want to share that awe with people. If you’re a tree nut, you’ll understand.”

The Davie Poplar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

First Trees Planted

The first trees in the Cary Tree Archive will be planted at noon on Saturday, September 28, 2019. The planters include candidates from Cary and Morrisville local elections as well as members of the Cub Scouts.

These first six trees are bald cypress, a deciduous conifer that can adapt to a variety of soil types. McDowell said this species of tree was chosen for expediency and in the future, volunteers can sign up to plant the next trees.

“We’ve had a big outpouring,” McDowell said.

The Cary Tree Archive is also partnered with Trees for the Triangle to get new trees and seeds to plant.

The Saturday, September 28 noon planting is open to the public.

Story by Michael Papich. Photos courtesy of UNC-Chapel Hill, the Cary Tree Archive and David Lindquist.