Trees for Life

by: Jay Pryor, member of the Environmental Stewardship Committee, Dunwoody UMC 

Members of the Environmental Stewardship Committee at Dunwoody United Methodist Church (DUMC) are always on the lookout for opportunities to “apply responsible stewardship of our God-given natural resources.” It’s a part of the Committee’s mission statement. In May 2021, three Committee members put the mission statement into action, arranging a meeting at the church with the arborist for the City of Dunwoody.  

The purpose of the meeting was to get an expert opinion on the possibility of planting trees in several locations in the church parking lot. The goal of the Committee’s effort was to help raise congregational awareness of God’s command for us to be the stewards of his creation. This project was also aimed at improving the aesthetics of our campus while having environmental impact of providing clean air, removal of carbon dioxide, cooling of the surrounding area and providing shelter for wildlife. It was also hoped it would be a great learning experience for the preschool children by supporting classroom lessons on the value of trees.  Soon, the Trees for Life project was underway.  

Trees Atlanta was selected as the source of the four trees to be planted. The nonprofit organization charged $250 for the cost of the tree, delivery, staff member guided installation and watering and mulch at the time of planting.  The fee also covered watering the trees the first summer after planting.  The trees, willow oaks, came with a two-year guarantee by Trees Atlanta.  

After obtaining approval from DUMC, the four trees were planted by Trees Atlanta on October 14 of last year with a little help from Committee members. The trees are thriving and beginning to meet the goals of the Environmental Stewardship Committee.