By Taylor Doss, Intern
While the city has designated a new crop of “Heritage Trees,” Wilmington’s Geographic Information Sciences office has launched on an online map that will identify the location and significance of the city’s trees.
The city is also getting help from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, as students in the Environmental Studies Department have worked with city arborist Aaron Reese to find and record the trees, according to a release from the Wilmington Tree Commission. Once the students have the dimeter, circumference and height of a tree, they then submit exact coordinates of the tree’s location to the city’s online tree mapping service.
Heritage Trees are particularly large specimen or a tree of exceptional form or rarity. They may also have historical significance, be a landmark tree, or be a collection of trees planted in groves or along thoroughfares, the commission said. Each winter a tree, or collection of trees, is awarded the designation of Heritage Tree. As a Heritage tree, it will be included on the online map along with its size and reason for selection.
On Jan. 17, the Wilmington City Council recognized the 2016 awards for Heritage Trees. They include:
- Live Oak – Quercus virginiana + others @ East Side of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge
- Live Oak – Quercus virginiana @ 1901 Princess Place Drive
- Live Oak – Quercus virginiana @ Wilmington Riverwalk, Conlon Pier
- Live Oak – Quercus virginiana @ Parkview Cemetery, 281 Dixie Avenue
- Live Oak – Quercus virginiana @ 4107 Wrightsville Ave
- Live Oak – Quercus virginiana @ Compton St, South of the Water Treatment Plant
- Loblolly Pine – Pinus taeda – 2016 Winner @ 1827 Hawthorne Rd, Coggins Residence
In the Spring, “Tree Awards” are given to recognize people, businesses or organizations that have put forth significant effort to preserve and protect trees and Wilmington’s urban canopy, the commission said.
The commission said it will encourage local residents to make nominations for both Heritage Trees and Tree Awards are accepted throughout the year. Nominations for 2017 Tree Awards are due on April 1 and can be submitted through the Wilmington Parks and Recreation website. Nominations for Heritage Trees are due in mid-fall and may be submitted through the website as well.
