{"id":1557,"date":"2011-03-01T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2011-03-01T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=1557"},"modified":"2024-09-26T12:44:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T16:44:50","slug":"branching-out-sustainability-series-broadens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/branching-out-sustainability-series-broadens\/","title":{"rendered":"Branching Out: Sustainability Series Broadens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

This article was published in the Spring 2011 issue of Coastwatch.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individual trees are often the subject of poetry and legend, family memories and community pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A landscape of trees and other plants not only provides a “sense of place,” but it also offers so much more, according to North Carolina Sea Grant’s Gloria Putnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, large trees may provide shade, while the roots help stabilize the soil. “These are positive factors on a large scale or a small scale. Even a single landowner can make a difference by planting a tree,” explains Putnam, a water quality planning specialist who works with communities and agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During “growth strategies” training sessions in the coastal region recent years, many local officials have asked about tree ordinances in addition to land-use planning and other tools to preserve and\/or improve water quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“People are beginning to think in a more holistic manner,” Putnam notes. “There is a shift in the paradigm.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, for a workshop with community officials this fall, Putnam will offer a new set of “Trees & Plants” fact sheets as part of Sea Grant’s Sustainability Series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A primary component of sustainability is protecting and increasing vegetation. There are so many benefits from plants \u2014 especially trees,” she explains. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n