Tiger Roots Green Collective
A group of students from Chapel Hill High School, NC focused on education, advocacy, and planting trees for a greener, more just future.
Why Tiger Roots?
We saw two interconnected needs: our local green spaces were declining, and so was the culture of meaningful, student-led action in our community.We value direct action with our hands and with our voices—not signaling. We organize events—planting, restoring, and cleaning—to drive true environmental impact. Students also lobby for the larger policies that ensure this work lasts.
01
Jolly Branch Park Restoration
We started small, focusing on restoring an overlooked pocket of woods behind our baseball field. Our first objectives involved clearing the area of litter and pollutants.
02
Leftovers
While improving the forest, we noticed silt fence trenching and discovered remnants of construction that no one had bothered to take out. This fencing serves as a restrictive barrier, keeping local wildlife from crossing the stream.
03
Taking Action
We partnered with The Treeist, a local tree service, to remove the harmful fencing. They generously sponsored machines and tools to get the job done.
04
Amelioration
The next step was to mulch the area and clear out all the invasive species. Trees of heaven, autumn olive, and decaying trees were cleared out and replaced with native saplings. Once a muddy, littered, and invasive species-infested area. Now a beautiful complement to our Ron Benson Baseball Field.
Visit Our Park
Jolly Branch Stream is a tributary of Bolin Creek that trickles adjacent to our park. Its beauty, once tarnished by silt fence trenching and garbage, is now restored and the namesake of our park.
Lobbying For Change
Just a few miles away from our home, the development at Hillmont was ruining the livelihoods of residents. Silt fence trenching was approved by the Town to cut too close to support roots. These trees, many of them rare and specimens, fell on property and homes. Even though the Town knew about a clear violation of its ordinances, their persistent failure to act made them complicit in the destruction.
Civic Presence
We didn't just email; we showed up. Our members attended weekly Town Council meetings to ensure our presence—and our dissatisfaction—was felt.
Student Unity
Tiger Roots mobilized students from Chapel Hill High School, proving that local youth care deeply about ordinance enforcement and our tree canopy.
Public Testimony
We took the microphone during public comment periods, presenting data on the Hillmont violations and demanding the city follow its own laws.
Community Awareness
Beyond the courtroom, we engaged the wider Chapel Hill community, spreading awareness about how development is impacting our local ecosystem.
© 2025 TIGER ROOTS GREEN COLLECTIVE, INC. All Rights Reserved.TIGER ROOTS GREEN COLLECTIVE, INC. is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation organized for charitable purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.Contact: 1200 Hatch Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 | (443) 695-8784
Jolly Branch: Before Restoration
View what Jolly Branch Park looked like before restoration. This video captures the preliminary cleanup efforts that set the stage for the main project.
