Master gardeners survey trees at Hampton city park; Newport News, VA

Master gardeners survey trees at Hampton city park -- dailypress.com

By Matthew Sturdevant | 247-7874
10:04 PM EDT, June 11, 2009
HAMPTON - — A sycamore tree at Gosnold's Hope Park is marked with a silver-colored medallion engraved with the number "1." The bark is falling off a little, but the tree's canopy — or crown — appears healthy and the roots have plenty of grassy area to grow.
It was the first tree identified Monday morning by a group of volunteer master gardeners during the start of the city's first tree inventory in recent years. The tree census will take place over a year's time at the park.
The initial purpose of the inventory is to identify, locate and assess the size and health of every tree at the 105-acre park on East Little Back River Road, across the Southwest Branch of Back River from Langley Air Force Base.
The survey is also a pilot program which could be expanded to other parks, school property and other public land in the city, said Hampton Tree Team Leader Rick Stanley, a certified arborist who works for the city.