HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Neighbors turned out with Mayor Tommy Battle at Lakewood Park on Saturday to take part in the city’s yearly tree-planting gathering, a local drive to thicken canopy cover in public spaces across Huntsville.
The Green Team asked helpers of every age to show up from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the park, which sits at 2225 York Road NW. Staff said this year’s round called for hundreds of new trees to go into the soil. No prior skill was required, and families as well as organized groups were invited.
Huntsville has run the program since 2014 and now counts more than 3,200 trees added in parks and other civic spots. Officials say the plantings create shade, give wildlife more cover and soak up stormwater before it sheets off pavement.
District 1 Councilwoman Michelle Watkins told the group that a goal is to freshen parks and give them a friendlier feel. Volunteers tied to the Divine 9, a collection of Black Greek-letter organizations, also came to dig and plant.
City officials said they intend to keep putting money into parks and environmental work around town. Anyone who wants details on the planting program can call the Green Team at 256-532-5326.
Saturday’s turnout was framed as one more step in a long civic effort to make public grounds greener and more useful for people who use Huntsville’s parks. Organizers have said they want that work to continue well beyond a single morning of planting. Lakewood Park was the meeting point, and the Green Team remains the office handling questions about future plantings.
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