On Tuesday, the City of Gadsden announced it had been awarded an $80,000
grant from the Alabama Forestry Commission’s Trees4AL program to plant over 200 native
trees at the former steel plant in Alabama City.
The city’s program, entitled STEEL PLANT, stands for Sowing Transformative Environmental
Elements Leveraging Planted Lush And Native Trees.
“Adding native tree canopy to this long-blighted property will not only improve quality of life
and the environment around the steel plant property, but it will beautify that entire corridor,”
said Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford. “With the Downtown Gadsden Greenway coming right
through there along Black Creek, drainage improvements planned in South Gadsden, and
new sidewalk and roadway infrastructure nearby, these individual projects are coming
together to redefine the entire area around the old steel plant. We already have new
industries operating in its buildings, and now we’ll have new growth taking root in the soil.
I’m looking forward to watching this new urban forest grow and thrive.”
Essentially, the city intends to plant 250 native trees on the long-abandoned perimeter
parcels of the former steel plant, which are owned by the State of Alabama with abutting
properties owned by the City of Gadsden. These trees will serve to cover the large slag piles
visible from the roadway and provide an improved shade canopy on the western banks of
Black Creek.
grant from the Alabama Forestry Commission’s Trees4AL program to plant over 200 native
trees at the former steel plant in Alabama City.
The city’s program, entitled STEEL PLANT, stands for Sowing Transformative Environmental
Elements Leveraging Planted Lush And Native Trees.
“Adding native tree canopy to this long-blighted property will not only improve quality of life
and the environment around the steel plant property, but it will beautify that entire corridor,”
said Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford. “With the Downtown Gadsden Greenway coming right
through there along Black Creek, drainage improvements planned in South Gadsden, and
new sidewalk and roadway infrastructure nearby, these individual projects are coming
together to redefine the entire area around the old steel plant. We already have new
industries operating in its buildings, and now we’ll have new growth taking root in the soil.
I’m looking forward to watching this new urban forest grow and thrive.”
Essentially, the city intends to plant 250 native trees on the long-abandoned perimeter
parcels of the former steel plant, which are owned by the State of Alabama with abutting
properties owned by the City of Gadsden. These trees will serve to cover the large slag piles
visible from the roadway and provide an improved shade canopy on the western banks of
Black Creek.
The City recently announced it had received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of
the Interior’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program to begin the Downtown
Gadsden Greenway.
That greenway will expand the Black Creek Trail system at Noccalula Falls into downtown
Gadsden with plans to run along the banks of Black Creek to the Jim Martin Wildlife Park
behind the Gadsden Mall.