450 trees being planted in Pleasant Hill, East Macon

"450 trees; that's a lot!" A'niya Langford, a 4^th grade student at Williams Elementary, said in amazement, going slightly off her script to the chuckles of the crowd standing before her.

Ms. Langford was serving as Mistress of Ceremonies for a celebration marking the start of work to plant 79 new trees behind her school. The ceremonial planting was attended by Mayor Lester Miller, Mayor Pro Tem Seth Clark, Dr. Sundra Woodford with the Board of Education and United Way of Central Georgia, Superintendent Dr. Dan Sims, Williams Elementary Principal Dr. Cynthia Jones, and several dozen students.

"This is going to change the look of Williams Elementary School," Mayor Lester Miller told everyone.

"This is so humbling to see the love you're showing here in Pleasant Hill," said Dr. Jones. "Trees and plants provide a natural sanctuary for children to explore, learn, and develop. They teach children important lessons about the environment and sustainability."

This is the third planting Macon-Bibb has undertaken with partners to begin planting 450 new trees at seven sites in the Historic Pleasant Hill Neighborhood and in East Macon. The first two sites were Jefferson Long Park and Mattie Hubbard Park, which together received 42 trees.

"Driving here, I took the long way through the neighborhood so I could see the progress," Mayor Pro Tem Clark said, marveling at the 42 new trees in the other two parks and all the ones laid out at the school. "This is a new day for Pleasant Hill. Every person deserves that fresh air and that fresh shade that trees offer, and that's what's coming here."

The other four sites include Linear Park in Pleasant Hill, and Davis Village, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, and Bicentennial Park in East Macon-Bibb. The seven sites were selected using the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) and the the Tree Equity Score, which scores areas based on 8 different criteria (Tree canopy, building density, income and employment data, race, surface temperature, health, language, and age).

"This work can only be achieved by community engagement…and community partnerships," Dr. Sundra Woodford with the United Way of Central Georgia and Bibb County Board of Education said. "These trees symbolize hope for a brighter tomorrow, and a reminder of the strength of communit that is deeply rooted in this historic and resilient neighborhood."

Funding for this planting program comes from a Georgia Forestry Commission's Trees Across Georgia grant in the amount of $253,150, which includes buying the trees, planting, labor, and maintenance.

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