Fifth graders at Longview Elementary are getting the chance to make a permanent impact on their school and community.
The Western Piedmont Council of Governments received a grant from the N.C. Forestry Service to conduct a tree canopy assessment.
Tree canopy assessments are conducted in towns and cities to determine where trees are needed to assist with reducing heat and erosion, according to the U.S. Forestry Service.
$48,000 grant
The council of governments used the $48,000 grant to provide Longview students with Chromebook laptops, geothermal heat guns to detect hotter areas of campus, microscopes, water testing kits and habitat cameras.
N.C. Forestry Service Public Information Officer Philip Jackson said the project will help students learn about ecosystems and the economic value provided by tree canopies. Students will also learn about careers in the urban forestry field.
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“The school is in an area with enough open space to accommodate tree plantings at or near the school and is located in an underserved census tract, according to the Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool,” Jackson said by email. “A goal of the learning task of the program is to allow (Hickory City Schools) and the city of Hickory to make informed tree-planting decisions.”…