Auburn city officials and members of the public gathered on a sunny summer morning to rename the tree trail in Town Creek Park to honor George Bengtson for his lasting and meaningful contributions to the site.
The Auburn Tree Commission recently recommended the name change to the Auburn City Council, which immediately approved the proposal. The name of the trail is now the George Bengtson Historic Tree Trail.
The dedication took place on June 19 at 10 a.m. at the beginning of the walkway for the trail, where an informational board, featuring the new name, was unveiled.
Jim Shepard, current chairman of the tree trail committee, said Bengtson is well deserving of the honor because of his contributions. He said, as chairman of the committee, was thoughtful and made sure to get everyone’s input, even following up with committee members one-on-one if they were quiet during meetings.
Shepard said forming a tree trail is difficult work because many of the trees are not native to the area, which is what made Bengtson’s work so appreciated.
“We’ve had some Red Maples die recently,” Shepard said. “One of the things with historic trees is that when you move something from Charles Lindbergh’s home town farm in Minnesota to Alabama, ecologically, it’s not necessarily a good thing to move trees that far.”
Bengtson was involved with the site since the beginning. He got the idea to start the trail after reading about an historic tree trail in the Toyota Owner Magazine. He loved the idea and thought it would be a great thing to Auburn.
After getting the spot approved by the city council, he and a friend raised all the money neeced to get the trail started.
The tree trail committee has added a wide array of trees, which are mostly not native to the area. However, they recently added the Pat Dye Japanese Maple.
Mayor of Auburn Bill Ham said the work that Bengtson displayed is symbolic of the great talents that make up such an enjoyable community.
“Thee are a lot of things we do in the city that may bring a little controversy one way or the other, but not too many people get upset at something like a tree trail and what it brings to our community. So, on behalf of all the city council and the citizens, thank you for all you do,” Ham said to the crowd gathered around the sign.
The kinds of places around the city such as the tree trail are great for the community because they will be used and appreciated for generations down the line, Ham said.
Those in attendance included soon-to-be retied City Arborist James Jennings, City Manager James Buston and multiple former members of the Auburn Tree Commission.
The Auburn Beautification Council also presented the Robert and Alice Crittenden Service Award at the event, which was free and open to the public. Refreshments were served following the dedication.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
