SGTC Horticulture Students Lend a Hand at Andersonville National Historic Site

September 27, 2023
Students in the SGTC Horticulture program recently volunteered to help perform tree care at Andersonville National Historic Site with Saving Branches, a non-profit organization providing tree care services at national cemeteries and other properties dedicated to veterans.
Students in the SGTC Horticulture program recently volunteered to help perform tree care at Andersonville National Historic Site with Saving Branches, a non-profit organization providing tree care services at national cemeteries and other properties dedicated to veterans.

South Georgia Technical College Horticulture instructor, Brandon Gross, and his students recently assisted in tree care service at the Andersonville National Historic Site. The students worked with arborists from Saluting Branches, a non-profit organization founded in 2015 to honor and assist veterans by providing tree care services at national cemeteries and other properties dedicated to veterans.

As part of the effort, the horticulture students helped trim branches and clean up debris at the site. “My students and I volunteered to be boots on the ground, and we just helped where we could,” Gross said.

Since its inception as an effort to service the Minnesota State Cemetery, Saluting Branches has expanded to include volunteers across the United States. The mission of the organization is to “honor American service men and women by organizing volunteer tree and landscape care for the property dedicated to our veterans.” More information about the organization can be found at www.salutingbranches.org.

The Horticulture program at South Georgia Technical College is one of over 200 program offerings leading to an associate degree, diploma, or technical certificate of credit. Learn more and apply online at www.southgatech.edu. Fall C-term begins October 11.