Local church’s tree-planting project takes root

Special to The Sentinel | Ohio

A local church has set forth the goal of planting more than a thousand trees around Licking County in coming years.

“A goal of planting 1,500 trees in five years in Licking County did not seem to be an insurmountable project for First Presbyterian Church of Granville,” according to project coordinator John Weigand.

“In fact, I suspect we might exceed that number if the community is energized by this gentle act of environmental stewardship,” Weigand said.

The historic Granville church, which descends from the first congregation established in Licking County in 1805, according to a news release, has been named an “Earth Care Congregation” and is one of only six churches in Ohio to earn the distinction from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) denomination.

“Being intentional in becoming an Earth Care Congregation designation inspired us to think more broadly about how we could make a difference in Licking County, not just Granville,” senior pastor Karen Chakoian said. The idea of doing something for the next two generations has generated “a lot of energy in our church.”

An adult discussion group at First Presbyterian read a book last summer titled “The Gospel According to the Earth.” In one of the chapters, the author, Matthew Sleeth, describes the multitude of benefits of planting trees for the environment, for community pride and even for decreasing crime.

Dr. Sleeth, a former emergency room physician, was sponsored by First Presbyterian to preach at its morning worship services and the evening ecumenical Thanksgiving Service in Granville on Nov. 24.

The church used the occasion as an opportunity to kick off its five-year tree-planting campaign by placing 25 young maple trees along the access road to the new Granville Village and Township Services Complex at 1554 Columbus Road.

“We wanted to learn from a less ambitious planting,” Weigand explained, “before we launch the aggressive community campaign in 2020!” All 25 trees, ranging from 12 to 14 feet in height, were donated and, with help from Albyn’s Nursery in Newark, planted on Nov. 23.

A University of Washington study published in 2010 looked at the relationship between trees and vegetation in a city and its crime rate. On average, there are 3,800 crime victims per 100,000 population in the U.S. each year. Public housing residents with nearby trees reported 25 percent fewer acts of domestic aggression and violence, 48 percent fewer property crimes, 52 percent fewer total crimes and 56 percent fewer violent crimes when compared to buildings without trees and low amounts of vegetation.

Another study by North Carolina State University determined that it takes 25 fully grown trees to remove the amount of carbon dioxide produced by one vehicle driving 10,000 miles at 12 mpg. “I guess our November tree-planting will cover one pick-up truck commuting into Columbus,” Weigand lamented.

Leaders of the First Presbyterian Church tree project are in conversation with several municipal agencies and non-profit organizations throughout Licking County that could be potential partners as this ambitious undertaking moves forward.

To learn more about the project and perhaps donate a tree in 2020, interested individuals can email Project1500TreesIn5Years@outlook.com for more information.