LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville leaders and community members have been working to beautify the South End by planting dozens of trees.
On a chilly April Saturday, Jacquelyn Eklund, an arborist and program manager for Louisville Grows, led one of several groups of volunteers to Cumberland Avenue, to make a new home for the trees.
The first of the group’s seven trees was a 15-gallon red maple.
Louisville Grows is an environmental nonprofit with a goal of planting 1,000 trees a year.
“I manage most of the tree plantings that we do and I also kind of spearhead a lot of the outreach that we do,” said Eklund.
She explained each step, from measuring how much space the tree will need, to carefully breaking up the tree’s roots.
The South End Beautification Tree Planting Campaign is an effort from city leaders and community and corporate partners.
“The goal is really to kind of create a greener space for everyone ... because there are neighborhoods in this city that are so beautiful and they’re just lined with huge canopy trees and it’s really a shame that not every part of the city looks like that, so a huge element of this is creating equity in the environmental space,” Eklund said.
Trees have always fascinated Eklund, and she loves getting to share her enthusiasm with others, she said.
“I think trees, they bring people joy, they make for healthier neighborhoods, for healthier lives and we forget that,” she said.
With the first tree in the ground and ready to grow, the volunteers made their way down the street to begin the process again.
Louisville Metro Councilwoman Nicole George (D-21) said the project is a $40,000 investment by the Metropolitan Sewer District.
Over two days, project volunteers planted about 80 of the over 160 trees expected to be planted this season, according to George.