Jemison Park hosting tree planting

Growing strong trees takes time, and the Friends of Jemison Park want to ensure those growing trees have a good place to spend that time.

Together with the Mountain Brook Tree Commission and local garden clubs, the FJP will be planting trees on the outskirts of Jemison Park Jan. 22.

Adapted from the Botanical Gardens’ Centennial Tree program, the Tree Commission and FJP are following a similar route in growing saplings from seeds of native trees that have been around since the ice age and planting them back in local areas. The seeds were collected a year and a half ago from Jemison Park and were raised to saplings by Mountain Brook resident Rebecca Cohn, said Simeon Johnson, chairman of the Tree Commission.

Now, the 100 American beech saplings will be planted on the periphery of Jemison Park to fill some bares spots, and the FJP and Tree Commission are hoping for more community involvement to help the park stay beautiful in the future. 

“These are little trees, but if we don’t plant them now then we won’t have that next generation of trees,” Johnson said. 

Those interested in participating can email info@friendsofjemisonpark.org and meet in the parking lot of the National Bank of Commerce at 2 p.m. on Jan. 22. Volunteers should bring a small shovel or hand trowel and possibly a pickax if the weather is cold enough to harden the ground.