In the city of Richmond, there are an estimated 120,000 trees on public land. Numerous nonprofits and volunteer groups are working to increase that number, as trees provide many benefits, from filtering pollution and preventing erosion to lowering temperatures. In some areas, planting trees has become a form of climate — and community — activism.
“We’re always planting trees,” says Sheri Shannon, co-founder of Southside ReLeaf, a community organization committed to building a healthy, equitable and sustainable environment for residents in South Richmond.
Shannon started ReLeaf with Amy Wentz, a community organizer and recent City Council candidate, in summer 2019 after participating in an environmental working group during the Richmond 300 master-planning process.
South Richmond faces a variety of challenges ranging from concentrations of poverty to a lower life expectancy than other Richmond neighborhoods. A lack of green spaces and trees in South Richmond creates urban heat islands, elevating temperatures along stretches of concrete and asphalt. These overheated neighborhoods are the legacy of redlining and years of environmental injustice. All this compelled Shannon and Wentz to take action.
“With our powers combined, I believe we’ve made a lot of inroads and kicked up enough dust that have spurred city officials,” Shannon says. The group has established connections with local food activist Duron Chavis and Rob Jones, executive director of the youth program Groundwork RVA.
“They’re already in the community, and I have to emphasize, they are among many people who care about community environments and gardens,” Shannon says. “They’ve cleaned streets and picked up litter. We wanted to create a presence dedicated to environmental justice.”
In 2021, ReLeaf planted 75 trees at the Swansboro playground and 100 trees at Hickory Hill Community Center with the support of a Chesapeake Bay Foundation grant program, the Greening Southside Richmond Project. “They reached out, and we said, ‘Dope, let’s plant some trees!’ ” Shannon says.
The Swansboro effort involved the work of numerous groups: The city’s Urban Forestry Division dug holes; volunteers organized by the Friends of Swansboro Park, led by Venus Pannell, helped with the planting; community forester Laura Johnson provided soil amendments; and Groundwork RVA’s watering truck made scheduled visits to ensure that the new trees received their proper allowance.
“All this sounds like a super complicated, technical process,” Shannon says, “but when everything comes together, it’s a beautiful ballet.”
TreeLab Manager Aaron McFarland works in the Amelia Street School greenhouse. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Growing Up
TreeLab, which is an arm of the nonprofit Enrichmond Foundation, grows trees and plants in city-owned greenhouses, then sells or donates the results to businesses and nonprofits in order to beautify and improve the city. One long-neglected greenhouse behind John Marshall High School was restored to become the group’s home base. Another greenhouse is located behind the Amelia Street School in Randolph. Now in its second year, the site is overseen by TreeLab Manager Aaron McFarland.
He surveys the potted saplings on site, ticking off tree varieties: tulip poplar, sycamore, hickory, hackberry, persimmon, willow, black gum and more. From 2018 to 2020, TreeLab planted 420 trees in Richmond.
McFarland became interested in trees while growing up in southeast Pennsylvania, where his father ran a small wholesale nursery. He studied horticulture at the Pennsylvania College of Technology and worked in ornamental horticulture, plant propagation and retail management. He and his wife, Justine, moved to Richmond from Vermont in 2017 for the TreeLab opportunity. “This is one of those fields or industries where I’m paid to do this and then go home and do more of the same thing,” he says.
McFarland says he’d like for students to experience growing plants, and TreeLab is in discussion with the city’s community garden coordinator about doing so in the Amelia Street greenhouse. “We’re turning this into a hub space,” he says. “We have the room, and if other groups who are working to improve our environment need a place, then, sure.”
Speaking for the Trees
If you see someone standing under a city tree and looking up, they may be a member of the Richmond Tree Stewards, a volunteer group that grew out of widespread damage to Richmond’s trees in 2003 from Hurricane Isabel. Since then, the group has trained hundreds of people to assist in the growth and care of trees throughout Richmond. The Tree Stewards partner with Richmond’s Urban Forestry Division and other nonprofits for tree maintenance.
In 2008, Louise Seals, a former Richmond Times-Dispatch editor, came across an announcement by the Richmond Tree Stewards seeking enrollees for a 10-week education course on tree planting and maintenance in exchange for volunteer hours.
Seals grew up on a West Virginia farm and wanted to get outdoors more. Due to allergies, gardening didn’t appeal to her; instead, putting trees in the ground and tending to them became part of her life. Her 10 years as the Tree Stewards president ended in January.
“It suits my attention to detail,” she explains, noting that pruning trees somewhat resembles “editing a tree” for future strength.
“Sometimes the decisions are harder to make when pruning,” she says. “Trees don’t heal, they seal. That takes time, of course, so that’s something to be really careful about. … There’s always problems, questions and decisions that must be made about trees.”
Branching Out
A variety of local groups educate and advocate for replenishing Richmond’s urban forest. For more information, visit reforestrichmond.org.
Capital Trees
Established in 2010 as a collaboration among several gardening clubs that grew into a nonprofit supporting public green spaces such as the Low Line along the Virginia Capital Trail and Great Shiplock Park. 804-788-6450, capitaltrees.org
City of Richmond Urban Forestry Division
Maintains approximately 120,200 city-owned trees of more than 80 species. Plants approximately 2,000 new and replacement trees between Nov. 1-April 15. The division also administers the Adopt-a-Tree program and provides information about tree well plantings. 804-646-0697, rva.gov/public-works/urban-forestry
Groundwork RVA
Founded in 2013, its after-school and summer programs encourage the improvement of community green spaces. 804-321-2789, groundworkrva.org
James River Association
Established in 1976 to advocate for river health in the wake of the Kepone chemical spill, the group is also concerned about invasive plant species along the river’s park trails and banks, as well as maintaining the river’s forestlands. 804-788-8811, thejamesriver.org
Reforest Richmond
An umbrella organization that coordinates planting efforts with informative bimonthly sessions of the Richmond Tree Committee. reforestrichmond.org
Richmond Tree Stewards
Grew from the efforts to restore trees uprooted and damaged by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The volunteer group trains citizens to plant and care for trees, engages in tree giveaways, and educates. richmondtreestewards.org
Southside ReLeaf
Describes itself as “a community organization committed to building a healthy, equitable and sustainable environment for all residents in South Richmond.” southsidereleaf.org
TreeLab
Grows trees and plants and coordinates with government, citizen groups, nonprofits and businesses to improve the city environment. 804-234-3905, ext. 107, enrichmond.org/treelab
Virginia Commonwealth University Office of Sustainability, Community Forestry
Supports and promotes community tree planting and collaboration with similar groups. Recent projects include bringing 62 trees to the Carver neighborhood and a survey of trees in Scott’s Addition. 804-628-1163, sustainability.vcu.edu
