Murphy – Have you noticed the hundreds of small pink flags on the lot at the corner of Hiwassee and King streets?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service Tusquitee Ranger District fire manager, Officer Chad Cook, said short leaf pines were planted in the area to reduce maintenance needs in the future. More than 450 short-leaf pines have been planted and flagged in hopes to watch them grow in the next 8-10 years, reducing the need for the regular ground maintenance on the property in the future.
“We had some trees left over from a reforestation event and decided to plant them,” he said. “We wanted to plant something that will look nice so the area doesn’t grow into a thicket.”
Cook said the Tusquitee Ranger District has been in charge of the grounds maintenance on the property for 30-40 years.
“We used to have a senior citizens program that had 20 to 30 individuals who helped with the maintenance,” he said. “We lost the program about 10 years ago and have been maintaining the grounds since.”
The short leaf pines were planted in a 15x15-feet grid and will grow up in even rows. The trees are only 4-5 inches tall and marked with the pink flags so mowers will avoid them.