LEXINGTON — Gene Parkison never did figure out why his wife loved trees so much.
“She always said there’s a beauty in a tree,” Parkison recalled Friday morning, standing on the lawn of Lexington’s village square.
Carol Parkison, who passed away in August, led the charge to get and keep Lexington’s Tree City USA designation. The village received its 39th annual recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation earlier this week.
The village honored Carol’s legacy Friday during its 40th annual Arbor Day Celebration. Officials and local third graders planted a Scarlet Fire Dogwood in her honor on the southeast side of the square.
Gene, who served for decades as the village’s mayor, believed his wife would have been pleased with the selection.
“She always wanted a pink dogwood tree,” he said.
He gestured to his son Todd and chuckled.
“We planted one at home and he ended up cutting it down when he was much, much younger,” he said. “He thought it needed it a haircut.”
Todd described his mother as a woman who fiercely loved nature and the village she called home.
“I can just remember being a little kid and hearing the arguments in the meetings over what trees were going get taken out and where they were going to plant trees,” he said. “She was very passionate.”
Gene recalled his wife’s resistance when a dead Maple needed to be removed.
“She really didn’t want it cut down and threatened us, but we had to prevail with saying, ‘The tree’s dead. It’s got to come down,'” he recalled.
“She was one of those, she would have chained herself to a tree if she thought it needed to be saved.”
“She would always turn to (street supervisor Roger Kilgore) and say, ‘Does it really have to go?’ If Roger said, ‘Yeah, it really had to go,’ then she’d give in.”
What is a Tree City USA?
The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program recognizes communities across the country that:
- have a tree board or department
- have a community tree ordinance
- spend at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and
- celebrate Arbor Day
Several communities in Richland County are Tree Cities, including Mansfield, Lexington, Shelby and Bellville.
Third graders read tree-inspired essays, poems
The third grade classes from Lexington Local Schools were also in attendance during Friday’s Arbor Day celebration. After the tree planting, a few of them read tree-themed essays and poems.
Tauri Grist, Ella Baker, Arowyn Mueller, Tori Kaufman, Caroline Alverson, Caleb Efird, Colton Davis and Brooklyn Brokaw were selected to read their compositions.
Once the ceremony concluded, village administrator Peter Them asked if any of students wanted to scoop a bit of the remaining dirt into the hole where the dogwood tree sat.
Dozens of little voices cried “me!” in unison. Tiny hands shot up towards the sky.
Mayor Bob Jarvis said the kids are a prime example of why Arbor Day is so valuable.
“Particularly now, in the advent of climate change, trees are important,” he said. “It’s good to get the kids involved with it so they can learn a little bit about how important trees are to the ecosystem.”
Studies indicate trees have a positive impact on mental health, can help fight climate change
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, trees help mitigate the effects of climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Trees also purify the air, prevent soil erosion and clean our water.
In urban environments, trees help absorb the sound of traffic, cool neighborhoods, lower energy costs and boost property values.
Studies have linked exposure to trees with better physical and mental health, as well as stronger social connections between neighbors.
