100 people plant 200 trees

Rome’s annual Arbor Day event brings its largest crowd ever to Heritage Riverways Trail along the Oostanaula River.

Rome and Floyd County are running out of places to hang their Tree City USA flags. Georgia Forestry Commission Chief Ranger for Floyd and Chattooga counties Mike Brunson presented Rome with a flag for the 28th time Friday during Arbor Day ceremonies that brought more than 110 people to the trail behind State Mutual Stadium to help plant 200 trees.

Representatives of the Rome Federated Garden clubs, both Rotary clubs in Rome, government officials, college students and other volunteers, divided up into five work units to plant a variety of species of trees along the Heritage Riverways Trail along the Oostanaula River.

Rotary clubs around the world have been challenged to plant a tree for every member during 2018 and both Rome clubs were heavily represented during the festivities, swapping suits for jeans and boots to plant everything from saw tooth oaks, saw tooth gobblers, tulip poplars, catalpas and other species.

The volunteers were assisted with the planting by a Nature Conservancy fire crew led by Rachel Fonvielle.

The Nature Conservancy workers dug most of the holes and folks like Extension Service agent Keith Mickler, Berry College student Jake Hager, trails advocate Julie Smith and others, including the Rotary representatives, dropped the seedlings into their holes and helped tamp the dirt back around the tender root systems.

Brunson told the crowd that in order to be certified as a Tree City USA, a community has to have a tree board or commission, an official tree ordinance, devote at least $2 per capita in the local budget for tree-related activity and hold a formal Arbor Day celebration.

A special part of the event was the rededication of a tree to former Keep RomeFloyd Beautiful Director Mickie Dobbs. Her daughter Anne Dobbs Gilbert was on hand for the ceremony along with former assistant city manager Jim Dixon, arborist Terry Paige and urban forestry

division employee Ernest Watson. Dobbs succeeded Mary Louise Payne, the

first KRFB director. That post is currently held by Mary Hardin Thornton.

Photos by Doug Walker, Rome News-Tribune ABOVE: Ernest Watson (from left), Jim Dixon, Terry Paige and Anne Dobbs Gilbert participate in the rededication of a tree to former Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful Director Mickie Dobbs. LEFT: More than 100 people gather for Arbor Day festivities along the...

Doug Walker / RN-T Public officials hold up a new Tree City USA sign presented to Rome and Floyd County on Friday by the Georgia Forestry Commission during Arbor Day activities behind State Mutual Stadium.

Doug Walker / RN-T Berry College senior Jake Hager plants a tulip poplar with the assistance of the Nature Conservancy’s Rachel Fonvielle.

Mary Hardin Thornton