Expanding the canopy: UK invites communities to celebrate Tree Week 2024
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 26, 2024) — Tree Week, hosted by the Urban Forest Initiative (UFI), returns this year with an expanded reach across the state. This year’s events will occur throughout October, engaging communities across Kentucky to celebrate trees and the environment for kids and adults alike.
Tree Week 2024 edition covers every area of the state, from large urban centers like Lexington, Louisville, Bowling Green, Paducah and Frankfort, to small, rural areas such as Pulaski County, Wayland, Berea, Danville, Richmond, Clark County, Georgetown and Fort Thomas. Events include tree plantings, workshops and educational activities designed to foster community connections through environmental stewardship.
“What’s so amazing about Tree Week is how it engages people of all ages,” said Ignazio Graziosi, program coordinator of UFI, part of the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE). “Whether it’s families attending tree walks or students participating in tree plantings, there’s something for everyone.”
Statewide expansion
“This year is special because Tree Week is going statewide,” Graziosi said. “We’re not just focusing on Lexington; smaller communities are taking part, and it’s great to see. It’s incredible to see how many communities are excited to join. UFI believes that trees create stronger, more vibrant communities.
“We’re planting American sycamore and dogwood trees around new higher ground housing developments and creating a mapped tree walk to connect different parts of Wayland,” Graziosi added. “It’s a simple but powerful way to bring people together.”
UFI has worked closely with more than 100 local organizations to coordinate these efforts, creating a statewide network of tree supporters committed to preserving and caring for Kentucky’s urban and rural forests.
Tree Week will kick off Oct. 11 with events on the UK campus. Highlights include “Tree Story Time Walks” to discover special campus trees and their stories, tree health walks and a screening of “The Lorax” at the Gatton Student Center — raising awareness about trees’ ecological and social importance.
Outside campus, other notable events include “Forest Bugs and Brews” at Mirror Twin Brewery on Oct. 17 and the “Night Adventure” on Oct. 18 at McConnell Springs.
Tree Week Lexington is scheduled from Oct.11-20, featuring more than 40 events, including the “Kick-Off Tree Planting Event” at McConnell Springs and the “American Chestnut Revival” at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary.
For a full list of events throughout the Commonwealth and more information about Tree Week 2024, visit the official Tree Week website at ufi.ca.uky.edu/events/tree-week-2024.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.