KCCB holds fourth annual tree planting event

Published 4:08 pm Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Keep Carter County Beautiful held their fourth annual tree planting event along the Tweetsie Trail on Saturday. Along with the planting of several trees, KCCB stated their vision for the future of preservation in Carter County.

The group said that, “The vision is to plant trees along the Tweetsie Trail from one end of Elizabethton to the other. Trees that will provide beautiful blossoms in spring, shade in summer and colorful foliage in fall.”

As with all successful visions, hard work is needed, something that holds true to Keep Carter County Beautiful’s vision.

“To make this vision a reality you need leadership, resources, and energy,” said KCCB Chairman Don Hlavaty. “For the past four years Ed Jordan of Keep Carter County Beautiful and Mike Mains of Elizabethton Parks and Recreation have been providing the leadership while the Elizabethton City Council and Carter County Commission have been providing the resources. The people of Northeast Tennessee have been providing the energy and labor.”

What began as a small project for the organization has grown into something much larger, something the group is proud of.

“It started with four trees in 2019. Then fifteen more were planted in 2020. How do you top that? You plant thirty-four trees in 2021. This year, Keep Carter County Beautiful and Elizabethton Parks and Recreation asked for volunteers to help plant thirty trees,” Hlavaty said. “Nineteen energetic volunteers came out and spent their Saturday morning getting all thirty trees planted and mulched. The volunteers had to remove numerous rocks from the base of the trees, back fill the holes and spread the mulch.”

With this effort, all those who continue to use the trail will have a much more beautiful year in the coming years.

“Now everyone who walks, runs, or bikes the Tweetsie in Elizabethton will be able to watch the trees grow. Our hope is that ten years from now the trees planted will bring visitors from all around the country,” Hlavaty said.

“Thank you to this year’s volunteers and all past and future volunteers that are working to make this vision a reality. Thank you to Ed Jordan and Mike Mains for their leadership and thank you to the Carter County Commissioners and Elizabethton City Council for the resources required to make this happen.”