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A tree in downtown Columbus is getting some well-deserved recognition.

 

This ‘Legacy’ Sugar Maple planted inside the Polk County Courthouse Square was transplanted 20 years ago. It is a “Tree of Strength” planted by the Foothills Association of Master Gardeners and the Thermal Belt Men’s Garden Club.

 

The tree is a living memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, DC and the rural hills of Pennsylvania.

 

N.C. State University created a registry of the hundreds of Trees of Strength planted across North Carolina, and this tree is now included on the list. This particular maple was selected because the ‘Legacy’ variety is a more heat tolerant Sugar Maple. It was officially planted on October 11, 2002.