Last week, Capital Trees was honored to be present at a tree planting ceremony at The Virginia House to commemorate The Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In honor of 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth has requested that trees be planted to increase and protect native tree cover, in the UK and beyond.
The English Speaking Union – Richmond Branch planted a native Virginia Dogwood, and hosted the “Tea and Tree Planting”. Our Chair of the Board, Kevin Finto, was one of the speakers at the event, and reminded us all of our organization’s long-standing ties to England. Richmond, Virginia got its name way back in 1737 because when William Byrd II looked out over the James River from Libbie Hill, he said that it reminded him of his home upon the Thames, Richmond Hill, England. Capital Trees representatives visited the namesake city when our organization was first taking shape and met with the Thames Landscaping Strategy. This like-minded non-profit aims to “conserve, promote, and enhance for the future, one of the world’s great river landscapes between Weybridge, Hampton and Kew.” (1) The inspiration we gleaned from the Thames Landscaping Strategy helped inform our approach locally – and we continue to collaborate with our friends there today.
The tree planting initiative will continue through the end of the Jubilee year in 2022 – so there’s still time to join in on the fun and plant a native tree!
