Natchezians are blessed with an abundance of architecture – everywhere we look there is evidence of the skill and vision of carpenters and craftsmen who worked with pride to leave lasting evidence of their efforts.

Yet what would our town look like without the trees that live among these buildings? The majestic oaks, the towering pecans, the flowering crape myrtles, the perfume of magnolias and sweet olive, the glorious color of ginkgos — I think our trees are every bit as important to the fabric of our town as the architecture. And trees provide more than beauty for us — they shade our homes, our businesses and our streets. They clean our air and water, reduce storm water run-off, increase our property values and reduce energy costs. They make our neighborhoods greener, safer and healthier.

Thursday, the Garden Lovers of Natchez will host Bob Thibodeaux of Bob’s Tree Preservation in Churchpoint, La., as our monthly meeting speaker. We would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you who are interested in the preservation of our urban landscape to come and hear him speak.

Mr. Thibodeaux is a consulting Arborist with many years of experience, membership in professional organizations on the state and national level and a list of clients ranging from Arlington National Cemetery, New Orleans City Park, and the LSU Campus in Baton Rouge to hundreds of individuals across the South. Mr. Thibodeaux is a strong proponent of educating people in using environmentally safe and sustainable practices to preserve and nurture the beautiful landscape that we have been blessed with. He has formed Acorns of Hope, a non-profit committed to donating 10,000 live oaks of genetic superiority to Coastal and Prairie communities of South Louisiana. He has offered to donate one to Natchez to be planted in honor of our Tri-Centennial Celebration.

In order to highlight our commitment to our beautiful trees, our club would like to see Natchez become recognized as a Tree City USA. Tree City USA is a program of the Arbor Day Foundation. It provides direction, assistance and national recognition for the member communities. It would provide the framework for a healthy, sustainable urban forestry program in our community. For more information about Tree City USA, go to the Arbor Day Foundation website – www.arborday.org – and click on the Programs tab.

Please join us at 4 pm Thursday at the Historic Natchez Foundation to learn more.

 

Rebecca McGehee is president of the Garden Lovers of Natchez, member of The Garden Club of America