Township Working ‘In Concert with Nature'
Anderson is working in concert with nature to protect its tree canopy and create beautiful spaces where green things thrive.
A quick trip down Five Mile Road reveals the most visible recent project- the 225th Heritage Tree Grove. Created during the township’s 2018 celebration of its 225th anniversary, the tender grove along the Five Mile Trail and Five Mile Road reflects native tree species historically populating Anderson Township.
At Anderson Center, also on Five Mile Road, a small open space was transformed into a buckeye grove several years ago. The area honors a longtime supporter of Anderson Township’s Greenspace program, Fred Kiel. The Fred Kiel Memorial Buckeye Grove now blooms at the end of the Anderson Center parking lot and offers a quiet place for reflection and relaxation.
One of the earliest township projects supporting the tree canopy involves reforestation of the Five Mile Trail soon after it opened. Paul Hemmer Companies, through the Freedom Tree program, planted 40 young hardwood trees at the beginning of the trail by the Anderson Branch Library. The trees, now more than a decade old, provide an appreciated buffer from the road.
The most current project involves a newly certified arboretum hosted at the Anderson Township Heritage Center on Eight Mile Road. This neighborhood oasis sports a wide variety of trees, shrubs and flowers labelled in an official collection. Visit the arboretum and learn more about this collection at 890 Eight Mile Road.
Anderson’s own fall street tree planting program has sown 741 trees in the past 11 years, contributing greatly to the ambiance of neighborhoods and roadways.
Additionally, the organization Trees and Gratitude has donated trees for many locations in the township including the Heritage Center Arboretum, three Greenspace properties, and three cemeteries. Their work added a total of more than 110 trees to the canopy just on these Anderson Township properties, plus some donated to parks and other locations.