The School Yard Shade Program is a pilot study created by the GA Forestry Commission’s Sustainable Community Forest Program (GFC) to demonstrate how tree placement can ameliorate the negative effects of ultraviolet light and high temperatures on a school landscape.
Gaines Elementary School was selected and a professional plan designed in cooperation with a number of partner agencies from Athens including ACC Dept. of Human and Economic Development and Keep Athens Clarke Co. Beautiful.
The plan addresses future needs of the school landscape and how canopy and understory trees can be incorporated to shade outdoor areas and buildings. Large trees were commercially installed.
Smaller trees and other landscaping was installed by volunteers from the school and the general community at both the Martin Luther King Day of Service in January and Arbor Day in February.
Teachers will measure schoolyard temperatures with the students six times throughout the year during the 3-year study. This data will be used by the Community Tree Council and the GA Forestry Commission in its progress assessments of the program.
For further information on the program please contact
Maureen O’Brien, the project coordinator or on 706-254-8685.