Columbia Green

10/01/2026

As we slip into autumn in zones 8A and 8B the eternal question for gardeners arises whether to tidy up the garden and yard or leave it for the ecosystem you've built in your yard. Clemson weighs in on the side of leaving the leaves. see: https://hgic.clemson.edu/leave-the-leaves-revisited/

If you compost, fallen leaves are a valuable resource—so if you need to rake them off your lawn, don’t throw them away! Add them to your compost pile instead.

A good compost pile generally needs about 2–3 parts “browns” for every 1 part “greens.” Fallen leaves are an excellent source of browns, while kitchen scraps, fresh grass clippings, and garden trimmings provide greens.

This is especially helpful during the winter, when kitchen scraps continue to accumulate but fresh sources of brown material can be harder to find. Saving your fall leaves gives you a ready supply of browns all winter long.

On a recent walk through the neighborhood with our family dog, it was apparent that fall was in full swing. Except for the evergreens, fewer trees have a...

09/30/2026

One of our former board members, Betsy Kaemmerlen is having a moving sale at Stormwater Studios today through Saturday 11 am - 3 pm each day. Lots of interesting pottery using tree leaves for impressions, and many $5-10 items for gifts! Free gift with every purchase. Come on down!

09/24/2026

“Shaded surfaces can be 20 to 45 degrees cooler than unshaded surfaces at peak temperatures.”

Columbia, South Carolina has an increasingly prevalent problem with heat. From regular weekdays to game days, no one is safe when outdoors except for those under a tree.

Read more at the link in our bio.

✏️ Sam Cancilla Sam Cancilla
📸 Nickolas Hill

09/23/2026

October is the beginning of tree planting season in South Carolina. You can register now on our website under Columbia Green's "Beat the Heat - Plant a Tree" program to receive up to three FREE shade trees for your home or residence (including apartment communities with permission from the community managers)!

Columbia's urban tree canopy is essential for its residents. The tree canopy provides shade for buildings, streets, and people. It improves air quality, lowers ambient temperature, manages stormwater runoff, and more.

Kershaw County unveiled a new plan last year to increase its shade canopy by nearly 2,000 trees over the next 10 years. Join us to help them exceed their goals!

09/09/2026

Did you know Columbia, SC has one of the highest urban heat indexes in the U.S.A.? Columbia also ranks in the 95th percentile for respiratory air toxins.

Through planting trees and regrowing Columbia’s urban tree canopy, both of these problems can be mitigated. Increasing tree coverage throughout the city not only provides more shade to lower ambient and surface temperatures, but trees also absorb harmful gases and improve air quality, which will help to decrease respiratory problems of residents. According to the National Park Service, urban trees can remove “multiple tons of ozone, gaseous air pollution, and particulate matter each year”.

By expanding Columbia’s urban canopy, not only can we enjoy cooler summers, but we can also have peace of mind knowing that the air we breathe won’t be polluted with harmful gases and particulate matter. Get involved with Columbia Green today to join us in our mission of restoring the urban tree canopy for an enhanced quality of life for all in the greater Columbia area. Find out more by attending our "Beat The Heat - Plant a Tree" event this Saturday!

09/01/2026

Wondering what you can do about rainwater runoff in your yard? Megan from AHC Landscape Supply shares some easy solutions in our latest Community Blog post.

Rainwater management is about slowing water down and giving it a better path through your landscape. This gives rainwater a chance to soak into the soil before it leaves your property as runoff. A few changes where it matters most can add up to major improvements in your home landscape.

08/22/2026

August is Urban Canopy Awareness Month here at Columbia Green!

A city's urban tree canopy is the total coverage provided by leaves and branches of trees, which provide shade for the ground, buildings, streets, and people. The canopy is measured as a percentage of shade coverage over a city or other area.

A city's tree canopy is incredibly important. Larger numbers of trees help manage stormwater and rain runoff, lowers the ambient temperature of the area, improves air quality, and saves money for homes and businesses by shading buildings and taking some of the workload off of your A/C or HVAC system!

One of Columbia Green's biggest goals is to increase the canopy coverage of Columbia and central Carolina by planting more trees! Visit our website to learn more about how you can get involved with Columbia Green and help to increase Columbia's tree canopy!

https://columbiagreen.org/getinvolved

08/13/2026

Work Day #2
WED, 8/19 @ 5:30 - 7 PM
4230 Timberlane Dr, Columbia, SC

Please volunteer with us to complete Phase One of this project: sheet mulching. Our first work day saw removal of debris and covering more than half of the lot with cardboard. Wednesday's work will focus on laying out the rest of the cardboard and covering it with a thick layer of wood chips.

All hands on deck! We'll have gloves to borrow and tools to share. Wear sturdy shoes and clothes that can get dirty and sweaty. Bring a reusable bottle and fill it with water from our cooler.

Background info/timeline:
Oct, 2015 - Devastating flood, homes & lives destroyed. This neighborhood was especially hard-hit. Most of the homes were purchased by Richland Co using disaster relief funding, allowing the residents to move to safer places. Unfortunately, an individual purchased a block of homes on this street and sold them for a profit. These homes continued to be bought and sold, mostly by folks from out of town who weren't aware that their property wasn't going to be an easy flip.

Mar, 2026 - GCWA used grant funding to buy one of the remaining homes.

Jun/Jul, 2026 - GCWA demolished the structure, removed all of the concrete footings, pads, and driveway, and recycled the masonry and concrete, thanks to our contractor, CIDS.

Aug 11, 2026 - Begin Phase 1: Work Day #1 - 18 volunteers came out after work to clear the site of debris and start laying cardboard, thanks to our friends at for donating and delivering the cardboard!

Aug 19, 2026 - Work Day #2 - See above!

Winter 2026/27 - Begin Phase 2: Planting plants! We will phase in patches of native plants to return this site back to its natural floodplain state, and include green infrastructure (like a rain garden!) to help absorb stormwater that flows in from uphill.

Future - Maintain this site as a thriving ecosystem, use it as a base from which to explore the flora and fauna of the Gills Creek wetlands, and point to it as a demonstration of how to rehabilitate the dozens of flood-damaged lots across our watershed (and beyond!) for community greenspace, responsible stormwater management, flood mitigation, and habitat restoration.