Keeping the Green in Greenville: The Civics Lessons of Trees

When Hurricane Helene toppled centuries-old white oaks while sparing seemingly fragile maples, it revealed hidden truths about resilience beneath our feet. As Greenville recovers from two historic environmental disasters, TreesUpstate's Aaron Davis shares a surprising statistic: despite our "green" reputation, Greenville's 36% tree canopy lags behind Atlanta and Charlotte's 45%. Discover how an 1872 newspaper editor united a post-Civil War nation by planting one million trees in a single day - a tradition that predates Earth Day by nearly a century. Between fallen giants and forest fires, learn why meeting your neighbors with shovels in hand might be our most powerful act of civic optimism for generations we'll never meet. Links: TreesUpstate South Carolina Forestry Commission Arbor Day Earth Day _ Produced by Podcast Studio X. Simple Civics: Greenville County is a project of Greater Good Greenville. Get in touch. Support Simple Civics with a tax-deductible contribution. Sign up for the Simple Civics newsletter.