Day of Caring volunteers help replant Westover Park in Harrisonburg

One by one, new trees will soon take root at Westover Park thanks to the community’s help.

Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation hosted a community tree planting on Wednesday as part of the United Way Day of Caring. The department has been seeking opportunities to get the community involved in the replacement of removed trees at Westover since many were taken down this summer due to damage from the emerald ash borer.

The call for volunteers to help replant Westover was met with rousing support. Volunteer spots were advertised on the United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County website for Day of Caring, and quickly filled. The department even reopened the listing to gain more community participation. Their effort will further that of Girl Scout Troop 1219, which came out earlier this month to plant a variety of native trees at the park.

The effort from the community to support a beloved Harrisonburg park has been awe-inspiring for City staff.

“United Way is a great organization that provides a lot of services to the community,” Park Superintendent Jeremy Harold said. “We are excited to share that goal and give the community an opportunity to participate in caring for their parks, the trees, and wildlife within them.”

Volunteers registered for the planting include local youth and adults in the community. They will get to take part in improving the diversity of growth in the park to protect against issues such as what has arisen across the country with the emerald ash borer, which has devastated the nation’s ash trees.

“We will be planting a variety of native trees including oak, maple, locust, and black gum making the planting more versatile and to avoid the decline of all trees in the park due to one pest in the future,” Landscape Manager Mike Hott explained.

Those interested in future tree planting projects should contact Jeremy Harold at 540-438-1644 or email [email protected].

Find more information about Parks and Recreation tree projects at www.HarrisonburgVA.gov/UrbanForestry-Program.