Park West to host Golden Shovel Tree planting ceremony

(Seguin) — What started as a dream to bring more shade and nature to Seguin is about to take root — literally.

The Guadalupe Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists, alongside H-E-B and Texan by Nature, will host a “Golden Shovel” Tree Planting Ceremony this morning at Seguin’s Park West.

Nancy Masterson, resource management project leader for the Guadalupe Master Naturalists chapter, says the celebration marks the beginning of a larger effort made possible thanks to a $5,000 H-E-B Trees for Texans grant, awarded to the group this fall. The funds will support the purchase, planting and care of 132 native trees.

Masterson says she’s excited that this new life will be added to the true forest that currently exist along the east side of the park –bordering Walnut Branch.

Masterson says the first phase of the project will be to provide “instant shade for recreation as well as long-term canopy for wildlife and park visitors.”

“We will plant seven large trees like 15 gallon 6-7 foot trees to provide shade for Seguin Youth Soccer along the sidewalks between soccer field 1 and soccer field 2 and if you have ever been out there on a weekend when Seguin Youth Soccer is having their practice games or their competitive games, you have seen all the families just huddled under shade shelters there in the boiling sun. So, these big trees along the sidewalk will provide shade and we will use that as a teaching tool to teach others how important trees are for energy conservation,” said Masterson.

Masterson says all remaining trees will help create a more diverse and sustainable forest.

“The remaining 125 little trees. I mean we are talking tublings. We are talking about four-inch high little, tiny baby trees that were raised by the Texas Forest Service at their experimental nursery in College Station and they are specifically chosen to do well in Seguin. They are all native trees. They are nut trees like walnuts and pecans. They are flowering trees that grow small and two types of oaks that are resistant to oak wilt – bur oak and white oak and they will all be added in one section of the forest,” said Masterson.

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., Thursday (Nov.6) Park West is located at 601 N. Vaughan Avenue.