ORANGEBURG, S.C. — A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Service will help South Carolina State University's Department of Agriculture & Public Service to improve green spaces in some underserved communities.
South Carolina State University (SCSU) says they will use the five million dollars to plant trees in Orangeburg, Bamberg, and Calhoun counties over the next five years.
By partnering with these counties, SCSU hopes to reap benefits beyond providing shade. Some of the trees will be edible and healthy food resources in the community.
Dr. Lamin Drammeh, Associate Vice President for the Department of Agriculture & Public Service said, “In an urban setting, where you don’t have a lot of trees, you have heat deserts and you have heat islands which impact your health, your behavior, your psyche, everything. So by planting trees -- and not only trees, but edible trees -- it will always improve the quality of life and be able to enhance the environment.”
South Carolina State University plans to plant the first tree in early 2024.