Grand Trees Of Chatham

05/28/2026

Hello All,

We want to let you know that The Grand Trees of Chatham will have a booth at the Climate Solutions Fair, which will be held at The Plant in Pittsboro this Saturday, May 30th from noon until 4pm. The Climate Solutions Fair is a collaborative project presented by The Haw River Assembly, The Plant, NC Warn and Chatham Climate Network.

There will be a full schedule of events, including live music, a film screening of NC Warn’s “The True Cost of Power” with a follow-up panel discussion, nature walks, activities for children and more! A full schedule of activities and events can be found here: https://www.hawriver.org/climate-action-fair

Trees are instrumental in reducing the greenhouse gases that are related to climate change. They also help to cool our living spaces, hold soil in place during floods, cool trails where we hike and support the streams on which wildlife depends…and the list goes on!

The Climate Solutions Fair will be a great opportunity to learn more about climate change while having an enjoyable afternoon!

JC Garbutt 🌳

https://www.hawriver.org/climate-action-fair
--
JC Garbutt 🌳
Grand Trees of Chatham

YOUR VOICE. Your Community. Your Watershed’s Future.2026 Climate Solutions Fair THE TIME FOR CLIMATE ACTION IS NOW: Join Us May 30, 12PM - 4PM The Climate Solutions Fair returns on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at The Plant for a full day of community engagement, education, and action around climate cha...

05/20/2026

We had great turnout for our Mountain Laurel Ramble on May 9th--Thank you to everyone who came out to hike with us!

The mountain laurel was past its prime bloom, but there were still enough in flower for us to see and enjoy. It’s an unusual plant for our area, so we are fortunate that the micro-climate of the White Pines Preserve allows us to enjoy mountain laurel so close to home!

Our hike leaders, Rouse Wilson and Don Pelly, (both great naturalists and birders too!) treated hikers to loads of information about our natural world as we traveled down the trail to the confluence of the Rocky and Deep rivers.

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful time of year for a hike!

04/30/2026

Hello All!

Grand Trees of Chatham will lead a guided Mountain Laurel Ramble Hike on Saturday, May 9th at 1:30 pm at the White Pines Nature Preserve.

Don Pelly and Rouse Wilson will be our group leaders. Both Don and Rouse have outstanding knowledge of the natural environment at White Pines. We are hoping the Mountain Laurel will be in full bloom as, when they are flowering, White Pines is extra special.

There is no fee for the hike, but registration is required to participate. If you wish to join us, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and you will receive a response confirming either that you are registered to hike or that you are on our waiting list. There will be two groups of up to 15 individuals per group. Register early to secure a spot. After we reach 30 registrations, subsequent requests will be placed on a waiting list and will be contacted if we receive cancellations.

The White Pines Nature Preserve is an outstanding hiking environment with beautiful White Pines, Mountain Laurel, many hardwoods and steep, rocky slopes. The Rocky River and Deep River meet at one end of the preserve. It is managed by the Triangle Land Conservancy and we are grateful to them for preserving such a beautiful part of Chatham County and making it available to all of us for outdoor enjoyment!

The hike will be over moderate terrain with some steep areas and will take about 2 1/2 hours. The plan will be to hike through Mountain Laurel areas on the way to the confluence of the Rocky and Deep Rivers. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Also, please note that there are no bathrooms at the White Pines preserve. Regretfully, we cannot allow our furry friends on the hike as they can be disruptive to others.

Here is additional information about the White Pines Nature Preserve, including a map and its exact location: https://www.triangleland.org/explore/nature-preserves/white-pines-nature-preserve
Parking is in the large gravel lot just off to the left as you enter the preserve. This parking lot is where the group will meet. Please do not go back to the end of the entry road as there isn't enough room there for parking.

If we must cancel the hike because of adverse weather conditions, we will e-mail those who have signed up. Hopefully we will be able to reschedule. If you need to cancel for any reason, please send an e-mail to [email protected] so we can bring in others from our wait list.

'Hoping that you will join us for a grand hike through a beautiful forest!

JC Garbutt 🌳
Grand Trees of Chatham
[email protected]

13

Events Archive | Triangle Land Conservancy

03/12/2026

After cancelling our winter hike in February due to weather issues, the weather was perfect for our rescheduled winter hike on March1st! We had a great group of hikers—it was good to see our regular hikers who come often and it was also nice to see some new hikers too! Everyone seemed happy to be hiking out in the woods and learning a few things about trees and having a great time doing it! As usual, our GTOC hike guide Rouse Wilson was having as great a time as everyone else! A win-win all around!

1. Trout lily
2. Hikers enjoy a rest on the Deep River
3. Hikers on the trail to the Deep River
4. Hike guide Rouse Wilson shows how to identify a honey locust tree
5. A flower appropriately named “Spring Beauty”
6. Grand Trees guide Rouse Wilson stops to answer questions from our hikers
7. Our youngest hiker opts for a different path!

03/10/2026

In mid-February, Grand Trees of Chatham got a preview of a Triangle Land Conservancy acquisition on the Deep River, close to its White Pines Nature Preserve. TLC is in the process of purchasing this property, which will add over 150 acres to TLC’s Chatham conservation portfolio.
We had the privilege of hiking over this beautiful piece of rolling land that ends at the edge of the Deep River. We stopped often to just enjoy the view and to measure several trees. Trees with unusual growth patterns made us stop to wonder what had interrupted the vertical path trees usually take as they reach for sun!
TLC is preserving an amazing part of Chatham County’s natural environment to share with all of us—Thank You TLC!

1. A tall pine twists around itself as it reaches for the sky.

2. GTOC Board members stop to enjoy the Deep River.

3. GTOC Board members Phillip Cox and Rouse Wilson do an assessment of a Box Elder tree alongside the Deep River.

4. GTOC Board members stop for a photo with an unusual tree formation—How and why did these two trees make this formation? If only they could tell us!

02/15/2026

NEW DATE FOR THE WINTER WHITE PINES HIKE

Grand Trees of Chatham will lead a guided Winter Tree Hike on Sunday, March 1st at 1:30 pm at the White Pines Nature Preserve.

Rouse Wilson will be our group leader. Rouse has outstanding knowledge of the natural environment in White Pines and knows where all the special trees are located!

There is no fee for the hike, but registration is required to participate. If you wish to join us, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and you will receive a response confirming either that you are registered to hike or that you are on our waiting list. As of now, there will be only one group of 15 individuals, so register early! After we reach 15 registrations, subsequent requests will be placed on a waiting list and will be contacted if we receive cancellations.

The White Pines Nature Preserve is an outstanding hiking environment with beautiful White Pines, Mountain Laurel, many hardwoods and steep, rocky slopes. The Rocky River and Deep River meet at one end of the preserve. It is managed by the Triangle Land Conservancy and we are grateful to them for preserving such a beautiful part of Chatham County and making it available to all of us for outdoor enjoyment!

The hike will be over moderate terrain with some steep areas and will take about 2 hours. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Also, please note that there are no bathrooms at the White Pines preserve. Regretfully, we cannot allow our furry friends on the hike as they can be disruptive to others.

Here is additional information about the White Pines Nature Preserve, including a map and its exact location: https://www.triangleland.org/explore/nature-preserves/white-pines-nature-preserve
Parking is in the large gravel lot just off to the left as you enter the preserve. This parking lot is where the group will meet. Please do not go back to the end of the entry road as there isn't enough room there for parking.

If we must cancel the hike because of adverse weather conditions, we will e-mail those who have signed up. Hopefully we will be able to reschedule. If you need to cancel for any reason, please send an e-mail to [email protected] so we can bring in others from our wait list.

'Hoping that you will join us for a grand hike through a beautiful forest!

Events Archive | Triangle Land Conservancy

02/14/2026

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH HIKE CANCELLED!

The weather prediction for Sunday, February 15th has consistently called for cold rain--Not what we want for a hike! Because of this rain-filled forecast, we've decided to cancel our Sunday, February 15th hike and to reschedule the hike as soon as possible. Please check back with us soon for the date!

We're sorry to have to cancel our hike, but we're doing it now to give everyone time to make other plans! On the upside, we have been experiencing a drought lately, so the trees will be happy for the rain!

We hope to see everyone at our winter hike when we get it rescheduled!

02/07/2026

CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

The Grand Trees of Chatham Winter White Pines Hike is back!
🌲🌳🪾🥾
Grand Trees of Chatham will lead a guided Winter Tree Hike on Sunday, February 15th at 1:30 pm at the White Pines Nature Preserve.

Don Pelly will be our group leader. Don has outstanding knowledge of the natural environment in White Pines and one can expect little pearls of nature knowledge to be frequently dropped!

There is no fee for the hike, but registration is required to participate. If you wish to join us, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and you will receive a response confirming either that you are registered to hike or that you are on our waiting list. There will be only one group of up to 15 individuals, so register early! After we reach 15 registrations, subsequent requests will be placed on a waiting list and will be contacted if we receive cancellations.

The White Pines Nature Preserve is an outstanding hiking environment with beautiful White Pines, Mountain Laurel, many hardwoods and steep, rocky slopes. The Rocky River and Deep River meet at one end of the preserve. It is managed by the Triangle Land Conservancy and we are grateful to them for preserving such a beautiful part of Chatham County and making it available to all of us for outdoor enjoyment!

The hike will be over moderate terrain with some steep areas and will take about 2 hours. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Also, please note that there are no bathrooms at the White Pines preserve. Regretfully, we cannot allow our furry friends on the hike as they can be disruptive to others.

Here is additional information about the White Pines Nature Preserve, including a map and its exact location: https://www.triangleland.org/explore/nature-preserves/white-pines-nature-preserve
Parking is in the large gravel lot just off to the left as you enter the preserve. This parking lot is where the group will meet. Please do not go back to the end of the entry road as there isn't enough room there for parking.

If we must cancel the hike because of adverse weather conditions, we will e-mail those who have signed up. Hopefully we will be able to reschedule. If you need to cancel for any reason, please send an e-mail to [email protected] so we can bring in others from our wait list.

'Hoping that you will join us for a grand hike through a beautiful forest!

JC Garbutt 🌳
Grand Trees of Chatham
[email protected]

Events Archive | Triangle Land Conservancy

12/23/2025

We had a great group to hike with and all passed Dendrology 101! Such a beautiful day preceding the “darkest evening of the year.” (PS: “dendrology” is the study of trees!)

12/11/2025

Hello All,
Give the Gift of GTOC's Naturally Chatham Calendar
During this season of giving and with the new year fast approaching, if you haven’t already done so, now is the perfect time to gift family and friends with the 2026Naturally Chatham photo calendar. Each year the calendars fly off the shelves of local merchants and land at the addresses of friends and family members all across America as well as foreign countries.
You can find this colorful calendar with a dozen full page images of nature scenes from our beloved Chatham County at these participating Pittsboro merchants; Chatham Marketplace COOP, Chatham Outfitters and Show of Hands Gallery.
Your purchase of the annual Naturally Chatham calendar fuels our mission to increase public understanding and appreciation of Chatham County’s valuable and irreplaceable trees. This mission is accomplished through measurements for potential champion and meritorious trees, educational programs, scholarships for nature related camps, tree identification hikes and tabling at community events.

GTOC is an independent non-profit with close ties to the NC Cooperative Extension—Chatham County Center. To learn more about who we are and what we do, visit our website at www.grandtreesofchatham.org. While there, visit our Tree Database to get acquainted with Chatham’s many tree varieties and our Gallery of nature scenes for your viewing pleasure.

Gary Simpson, Photographer

--
JC Garbutt 🌳
Grand Trees of Chatham

Chatham County’s Tree Recognition and Education Program