JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Groundwork Jacksonville and Greenscape of Jacksonville will plant 70 native shade trees along the Emerald Trail S-Line on Friday.
Volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. at the Emmett Reed Community Center, 1093 W. 6th St., to begin the project, which is scheduled to run until 11 a.m. The planting will cover the S-Line from Moncrief Road to Kings Road.
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ISA Board-Certified Master Arborist Garner Cox, manager of Groundwork Jacksonville’s horticulture team, is leading the effort. The species to be planted include bald cypress, black gum, dahoon holly, wax myrtle, Little Gem magnolias, live oaks and other native trees aimed at adding shade and resiliency to downtown neighborhoods.
Volunteers are expected from the Jacksonville Jaguars staff, Ally Bank employees and students from the Duval 4-H Home School Adventure Club. The project follows a March planting in which Groundwork and Greenscape volunteers planted 60 native shade trees from Moncrief Road east to Boulevard Street. The initiative is supported by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service.
The S-Line, a 4.8-mile rails-to-trails multiuse path that runs through Durkeeville and Springfield, was Jacksonville’s first dedicated urban trail when the city converted an abandoned CSX right-of-way in 2008. It is part of the planned 30-mile Emerald Trail, which will link 14 historic urban neighborhoods to downtown, the St. Johns River and multiple schools, parks and other community destinations.
Groundwork Jacksonville is the nonprofit partner rebuilding portions of the Emerald Trail and restoring McCoys Creek and Hogans Creek. Groundwork was formed in 2014 as a partnership with the city, the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and Groundwork USA. Greenscape of Jacksonville, established in 1975, is a local tree advocacy nonprofit that has contributed more than 356,750 trees to the region’s canopy.