Piedmont Park is looking for a few good men and women to tend the trees that are suffering due to the area's continuing drought.
"We need volunteers to give the trees a good soaking," said Eli Dickerson, volunteer coordinator for the Piedmont Park Conservancy. "We haven't had significant rain in a month."
Dickerson said the trees are showing signs of serious thirst.
"Some of the trees are starting to drop limbs, and leaves are starting to drop early," he said.
Basically, volunteers will stand at a tree and water the base for about two or three minutes and then drag the hose to the next tree, said Dickerson.
It's tedious and time consuming, but very necessary right now, he added. Officials are particularly concerned about new trees that have been planted in the park.
Help will be needed through the end of September and maybe longer, Dickerson said.
Help is needed from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. If interested, contact Dickerson at volunteer@piedmontpark.org. Volunteer shifts also are posted on www.handsonatlanta.org and www.piedmontpark.org.
Most of Georgia south of the mountains – which means most of the state – is now in extreme drought, according to the Office of the State Climatologist.
"The outlook for near-term drought relief is not promising," David Emory Stooksbury, state climatologist and a University of Georgia professor of engineer and atmospheric sciences, said in a news release.
“Unless Georgia experiences some tropical weather over the next few months, the state can expect below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures,” Stooksbury said.
This means soil will get even more parched, stream flows and reservoir levels will keep dropping and the chances of wildfire “are expected to remain high to extreme,” he said.
Up-to-date information on dry conditions across the state can be found at the University of Georgia's drought website.
-- Staff writer David Ibata and The Associated Press contributed to this article.
About the Author
