"Trees for Tracks" Program Spruces Up Small N.C. Town

St. Pauls, NC — The wish list included hollies and daylilies, crape myrtles and knockout roses. Now, the small North Carolina town of St. Pauls is getting greener – with a big help from CSX.

CSX donated nearly $9,000 toward the historic town's beautification project. The grant was part of the CSX Trees for Tracks program – which, in the name of a healthier environment, sets the ambitious goal of planting a tree for every one of the 21,000 miles of track in the CSX network. Under the Trees for Tracks initiative many more trees will be replenished than the number that must be removed to keep the rail lines safe.

After the areas near tracks were cleared in St. Pauls, municipal leaders developed a greenscape strategy for the signed entrance-ways and areas downtown. They wanted perennials, bushes and trees – and CSX picked up the tab.

In thanking CSX Director of State Government Affairs John W. Dillard for the company's assistance, Town Administrator Stuart Turille wrote that the improvements would make St. Pauls "more attractive for investment, local folks, and anyone passing through."