Keep Statesboro-Bulloch Beautiful (KSBB), the City of Statesboro, and the Tree Board were awarded up to $7,359 in grant funds from the Georgia Tree Council to purchase a variety of trees and tree materials. A total of 50 trees including Fringe, Savannah Holly, Eastern Redbud, Vitex, Chinese Pistache, and Yaupon Holly were planted along various public properties in Statesboro. These areas include the Willie McTell Trail, the medians of College Blvd and Park Ave, the W Main St. parking lot, Renaissance Park, and Simmons Park.
The objectives of the Georgia ReLeaf Program are to improve the environmental, economic, and social health of Georgia communities, help sustain health and diversity in Georgia’s community forests, improve planning efforts of city administrators, municipal tree departments, and tree boards, contribute to tree equity in under-resourced communities and increase environmental and health benefits to combat the effects of climate change. City staff was able to replace trees that had been removed due to disease or natural disasters, ultimately increasing the city’s tree canopy percentage and improving beautification standards.
