“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
–Nelson Henderson
Our game started when Charlie was 6 and Liddy was 4. It was August, and we were walking from
Springwood Drive house up to Bestway for an ice cream sandwich. “SHADE CHASERS!” they yelled,
pausing at the edge of one circle of shade before bounding up Sherwood to the next. Every time they
reached the shade, they’d stop, take in the cool, and gather up their reserves to run again.
The shade propelled us forward; it cooled us off and made our walk an adventure.
It’s easy to view trees as an annoyance: We dread the fall clean-up. We worry about limbs—or worse
yet, the whole tree—falling on our homes during a storm. They stand in the way of our renovations.
But that’s missing the forest for the trees.
Here’s what our Lindley Park forest is out there doing for us:
- Cooling us off. Tree canopy lowers urban temperatures by 10 degrees. (It lowers your electricity
bill, too!) Large shade trees, like oaks and maples, are best at carbon storage and cooling. - Boosting our mental health. Every time I walk out of my house in the morning and hear the birds
singing, I think how lucky we are to live in a neighborhood where songbirds find sanctuary. - Growing money! According to a PNW Research Station study, a well-maintained, healthy tree in
the front yard increases the home’s sales price by an average of $7,130. - Helping us breathe. Trees combat climate change by filtering air pollution and releasing oxygen.
When Lindley Park neighborhood was first developed in the early 1900s, it was centered around a
public park named after John Van Lindley, a local Quaker businessman who owned a successful nursery.
Lindley donated 60 acres of land along Spring Garden Street for a recreation complex. Our
neighborhood, defined by its tree-lined streets, grew in the area surrounding the park.
In the last few years, we’ve lost many of those beautiful old trees to disease. Here’s the good news: Our
walkable neighborhood has an opportunity to plant new, native trees that will shade our sidewalks,
clean our air, and let us demonstrate to our children that we’re willing to leave the world better than we
found it.
About NeighborWoods
Greensboro Beautiful, a nonprofit volunteer organization, has awarded Lindley Park the 2023
NeighborWoods Community Tree Planting.
When: This fall, Neighborwoods will plant 200 native trees in Lindley Park.
What: Trees range from medium-to-large canopy trees like oaks, maples, black tupelos and Southern
magnolias, to understory trees such as dogwoods, redbuds and serviceberries.
Where: Neighborwoods was designed to preserve and restore the tree canopy in neighborhoods, parks
and along city streets. That includes public spaces and private yards, if you’re willing to care for them.
We need you! Here’s how you can get involved.
- Request a tree (or two). If you have a space in your yard—front or side, if you live on a corner
lot—and would like a tree, register at Greensboro Beautiful. - Help plant. Greensboro Beautiful assists in the hole-digging part, but they need our help filling
the holes and giving the trees a strong start. Mark your calendar for Saturday morning,
November 4. - Tell your neighbors! If you have Lindley Park friends who’ve recently lost trees to old age or
disease—or if they just have a perfect sunny spot on their front lawn—this is a great
opportunity. Spread the word about NeighborWoods!