Asheville GreenWorks Celebrates Trees This October

October is tree month for GreenWorks, Asheville’s grassroots environmental nonprofit. The organization will host two events this month: its 7th annual Root Ball on Saturday, October 5, and a Tree Giveaway on Sunday, October 13.

The Asheville GreenWorks Root Ball is an evening of music, food and beer, celebrating the accomplishments of GreenWorks’ 3,000 volunteers. This year’s party takes place from 6–9 p.m. at the Boat House of the Smoky Park Supper Club. Tickets are $25 and include an all-you-can- eat cookout with meat from Hickory Nut Gap Farm and Dr. King’s Carolina Bison, as well as vegetarian options from No Evil Foods and beer from Wicked Weed.

The Tree Giveaway, during which GreenWorks plans to give away more than 400 trees to residents of Buncombe County, was made possible by a grant from Duke Energy that went to support the GreenWorks Urban Forestry Program. “In 2017, with support from Buncombe County Parks & Recreation, we began the process of installing a nursery grow pad, automatic irrigation and a 100-foot-long greenhouse,” says Eric Bradford, director of operations for GreenWorks. The construction of the GreenWorks tree nursery was supported by many local businesses, including Carolina Native Nursery, which donated irrigation lines. “Communities with large plantings of trees have less crime, stay cooler in the summer, and are seen as more welcoming and friendlier, too,” says Bill Jones, president of Carolina Native Nursery. “Plus, native trees best support our indigenous pollinators, butterflies and mountain ecology. Asheville GreenWorks’ tree nursery is a welcomed addition to the wonderful work they have been doing for decades.”

Annually, GreenWorks grows more than 2,500 native trees of various species. The City of Asheville will be releasing a tree canopy study that will show the amount of canopy loss in Asheville since 2010, which highlights the purpose of the Tree Giveaway. “It’s our goal to reforest Buncombe County,” says Bradford. “A larger, more established tree stands a better chance of making it to adulthood in our urban landscape.” The Tree Giveaway will take place at Sandhill Orchard and Nursery from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.