Up bright and early on Saturday, Isabelle Shepherd, executive director of Alliance for Cape Fear Trees, told WHQQ why they chose to show up in Murrayville.
“[It’s] one of the county's most under-canopied neighborhoods due to unchecked development decades ago before tree protections were really put in place. So this area was clear-cut, and then what they did replant with was Bradford pears and Crepe myrtles, so really a rough canopy out here,” she said.
To change that, Shepherd said that now is the best time to plant trees.
“Fall and winter are really the best time to plant a tree. It allows their roots to get established before the heat of spring and summer. So while it is a chilly time to be planting a tree, it is the best for the tree's long-term success,” Shepherd said.
Lynnae Mallalieu is a tree steward for The Alliance of Cape Fear Trees. On Saturday morning, she was going through their stock, including Black Cherry trees.
“These will get beautiful red cherries on them, and then they will flower, so great for pollinators, great for birds, butterflies,” she said.
Mallalieu went through the categories of trees they have available for this giveaway, which are elms, maples, magnolias, and then finally, the best for last, she said,
“The Southern Live Oak. You can't. I mean, they make me speechless. They're such a great tree. I have a beautiful one in my yard, and the number of acorns that are on it right now, and the number of birds that are in that tree every morning just makes me smile,” she said.
Mallalieu said there are tree experts who help people in line decide which tree to select, and they come from local nurseries. They also have soil and compost available to give out to residents who come.
“We try to ask them questions about where in the yard is it going to be planted? Will it be east-facing or south-facing? Do you want a large canopy tree? Do you have a big enough space for a big tree? Do you want a smaller understory tree that would grow nicely under a canopy tree that you might already have in your yard? So we try to pair the right tree with the right space," she said. "The right plant in the right place is really what makes the trees thrive.”
That’s when Dr. Jim Gregory comes in. He’s a professor emeritus of forestry at NC State University and senior advisor for the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees. On Saturday, he was counseling residents Sara and Justin Cazeault on what tree to choose.
“We have two varieties, cultivars of red maple. The October Glory is a slower-growing, more compact version. My favorite is the Brandywine Red Maple; it tends to grow upward. I have two of them in my backyard that were planted from a tree giveaway two years ago. They're now about 10 feet tall, and the leaves look just like those. They're gorgeous,” Gregory told the couple.
The Cazeaults ended up choosing one of the maple varieties. Jim Cazeault said they wanted to come out because, “We have a big area in our backyard that just needs some more tree coverage and shade. Our neighbor took down a bunch of trees next to us, and so we don't have as much privacy as we would prefer. [...] We wanted to make sure we got something that was native, so this is the place to come for that.”
Like the Cazeaults, resident Trevor Alger chose maples, “My daughter loves the colored leaves when they change. So I mean, we've got pine trees and stuff around our house. But yeah, I wanted some stuff with some color.”
The next two tree giveaways are in December: one will be at Riegelwood Baptist Church on December 5, and the other at DC Virgo Preparatory Academy on December 19.
“Our community is hungry for trees. We really notice that this is something that people are talking about, requesting, and so we're here to meet that need,” Shepherd said.
