Published: April 29, 2008 10:22 pm         

Memorial, family trees bring much-needed Releaf

Skip Little has his own green space in London now. On Wednesday, Little’s family members, friends and members of the new Releaf London committee gathered at A.R. Dyche Cemetery to plant a yellow wood tree in honor of the former attorney, who died 10 years ago.

Getting more leaves growing in a meaningful way in Laurel County is the goal of the new committee, a subset of the London Downtown organization. Ultimately, they want to expand London’s urban forests.

People can donate $150 to the committee and get a tree planted in memory of a loved one or even as a family tree.

The tree — which will be hand-selected according to the habitat where it will be planted — will be marked with a permanent hang tag.

“The plaque will identify the tree and the name of the family,” committee member Chris Robinson said.

The donation will pay for the cost of the tree, the cost to plant it and guarantees the tree’s survival.

The idea for the committee was spawned thanks to feedback given to London Downtown by America in Bloom, a nationwide beautification program that judged the city last year.

“Urban forestry and environmental awareness were our two lowest scores,” Robinson said. “Releaf London is a way of developing an urban forestry plan.”

Robinson said committee members are in the process of assembling a recommended tree list.

“We want to make sure the trees are in a proper location for the growing conditions they need and the space they need,” Robinson said.

Robinson expects trees like yellow wood, kousa dogwood, pin oak and flowering cherries to be on the list.

“These are good, easy to love trees,” Robinson said.

Staff writer Tara Kaprowy can be reached by e-mail at tkaprowy@sentinel-echo.com.