Petersburg to Host “Healthy Trees” Open House
On Monday, September 23, 2024, the City of Petersburg will host a “Greening Petersburg: Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives” Open House from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Petersburg Public Library Event Center. The City and its partners invite citizens to this free community event to gather feedback on proposed tree planting strategies for the City of Petersburg.
This event is an essential component of the City’s development of new policies for making the community greener, including developing a city-wide Strategic Tree Canopy Plan that emphasizes preserving tree canopies and adding green spaces, especially in low-income and historically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
"I am thrilled to invite our community to this Open House. Trees are important for keeping the city cool, beautifying parks and public spaces, reducing stormwater and providing habitat for birds and people. As natural air filters, trees create a healthier environment for all residents. This initiative is vital for enhancing the quality of life in our city by focusing on sustainability and resilience,” shared Petersburg Council Member Marlow Jones. “We are committed to developing our comprehensive Strategic Tree Canopy Plan to prioritize green spaces, especially in our underserved neighborhoods. I encourage all residents to join us, share insights, and contribute to shaping a greener Petersburg."
Presenters will include Jones and Dr. Alton Hart, Director of the Crater Health District, local environmental justice leader Queen Zakia Shabazz, as well as arborists from the Green Infrastructure Center and a representative from grassroots forestry organization Southside ReLeaf, based in Richmond, Virginia. Presenters will speak from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and will be available to answer questions.
Local organizations ranging from Petersburg League of Urban Growers to Friends of the Lower Appomattox River will be tabling throughout the evening, and residents can vote on which tree planting strategies they think are best for Petersburg at any time during the event. Children are welcome, and light refreshments will be provided.
Petersburg is hosting the event with organizational support from UVA’s RAFT (Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool) project, which the City has been participating in for the past two years to enhance community resilience. The goal of the RAFT is to help Virginia’s localities and tribal nations improve environmental, economic, and social resilience to climate change and other stresses.
“Through RAFT we work with a locality to assess its strengths and challenges and prioritize what improvements or interventions should come first,” said RAFT Program Manager Sierra Gladfelter. “We work hand-in-hand with the community and local partners to determine what their priorities are and build the relationships and access to technical and financial support they need to accomplish their goals. This event is one manifestation of those partnerships.”
The Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) is also a partner supporting the event through a VDOF Community Forestry Revitalization Grant and will be continuing to support the City on its tree canopy planning following the Open House.
“The Green Infrastructure Center is providing technical assistance to the city of Petersburg to ensure that the benefits trees provide are shared equitably in the community,” said Kendall Topping, GIC Community Forester. This Open House is the citizen's opportunity to shape what greening their City will look like and choose what strategies the city should implement to make a greener and healthier Petersburg.”
RAFT is led by the Institute for Engagement & Negotiation (IEN), the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience at Old Dominion University, and the Coastal Collaborator at Virginia Tech. IEN is a unit of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. The Cooper Center offers non-partisan, reliable research and services that help policymakers and elected officials, governments, and community leaders in Virginia and beyond.
Founded in 2006, GIC is a nonprofit organization based in Virginia that assists communities in developing strategies for protecting and conserving their natural and cultural assets, including tree cover, waterways, wetlands, and bays, agricultural soils and parks, and other open spaces to ensure community health and resilience through research, land-use planning, mapping, and ecological restoration. For more information, visit https://gicinc.org/
