February 29th, 2024
Our ecosystems are the gateway to a healthy planet. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to breathe fresh air, drink clean water, regulate climate, recycle nutrients, and more. On April 29th, Southeast Lineman Training Center participated in National Arbor Day with the Arbor Day Foundation nonprofit organization and planted 1,400 longleaf pines to help build and maintain our ecosystems.
Once coined as “The tree that built the South”, longleaf pines were at one point a dominant tree species in the southeast ranging from East Texas to Southern Virginia as well as North and Central Florida, but have dwindled to only cover smaller areas of land. The loss of this particular ecosystem has been detrimental to the nearly 600 animals and plants that depend on it. With this devastating impact, the team at Southeast Lineman Training Center has and will continue planting these trees every year to help replace the many poles that we use for students and help offset our impact on the environment and ecosystems. These trees will cover around 2.3 acres of land and be part of a larger effort to replant over half a million of the longleaf pines in Georgia.
With the help of our efforts, the impact of planting these trees includes:
Reduced forest fragmentation.
Protection of endangered wildlife such as the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Indigo Snake, and Gopher Tortoise.
Avoidance of 42,000 gallons of runoff.
Removal of 5.8 tons of air particulate pollution.
Sequester 1,866 metric tons of carbon over the next 40 years.
The ecosystem is what helps make the world a better and cleaner place, and with the continuation of planting the longleaf pines, our impact will help protect and preserve life of all kinds. At Southeast Lineman Training Center we are proud to go above and beyond by giving back and helping impact our world and the people in it.
To learn more about National Arbor Day, check out the Arbor Day Foundation and find out how you can help!
