Tar Heel Traveler: NC farmer is on a mission to save endangered palm trees

On Juneteenth, our Tar Heel Traveler is in Johnston County with an African American historian and palm tree grower.
Posted 6/19/2023, 10:09:55 PM Updated 6/20/2023, 12:58:39 AM

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING GOT WAY

MORE INTERESTING

SOUNDS FUN.

>> IT IS JUNETEENTH AND TONIGHT

ARE TAR HEEL TRAVELER IS JUST

OVER THE WAKE COUNTY LINE IN

JOHNSON COUNTY WITH AN

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORIAN AND

PALM TREE GROWER. AS SCOTT

NATION EXPLAINS, IT'S A

COMBINATION THAT FORCES UNDER

HIS ENTHUSIASTIC CARE.

>> FARMER AND HISTORIAN AND

MANY PEOPLE KNOW ME SIMPLY AS

THE PALTRY GUY OR THE PALM TREE

RESCUE GUY. WE'RE DOING OUR

PART TO SAVE AN ENDANGERED

ALMOST EXTINCT SPECIES. ALMOST

EXTINCT LIKE IN FLORIDA.

YOU SEE PALM TREES EVERYWHERE.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FLORIDA

AND NORTH CAROLINA AS THE RATE

OF DEFORESTATION, THE PALMS

RELY ON THE PINES, RIGHT?

AND THAT LONGLEAF PINE

ECOSYSTEM. THE PINES WERE

DECIMATED. GOODWOOD LONELY PINE

AND YELLOW PINE TIMBER. JOHNNY

INSTEAD OF JOHNNY APPLESEED

WORLD A PALM TREE EARLY.

PLANTING. SEE IT BUT ALSO SALE.

LEASE EVIL INTERNET MULTIPLY

OFFERS AND SO IT'S BECOME

ALMOST A CRUSADE TO SAVE THE

PALMS NOW ARE LINES DID NOT

EXACTLY JUST FALL INTO

HISTORIAN AND CURATOR OF

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND

AGRICULTURE.

HE GROWS OKRA ON HIS FARM NEAR.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW IT CAME FROM

WAS CALLED THE GOLD COAST OF

AFRICA, OKRA, OKRA. YES.

SO THAT'S THE REASON THAT WE

STUDY AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY,

PER SE BECAUSE IT IS AMERICAN

HISTORY.

100 YEARS AGO WE HAD OVER A

MILLION BLACK FARMERS, THE FATE

OF BLACK FARMERS PARALLELS THE

PALMS. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT

THAT. WELL, I'M PROUD TO BE ONE

OF THEM. ONE OF MY FAVORITE

PEOPLE TO, QUOTE, IS KING.

DAVID IN THE PSALMS AND HE SAYS

THE WRITERS WILL FLOURISH LIKE

THE PALM TREE.

>> THERE'S PAUL FISH IS A CAUSE

FOR BERMUDA. ORIGINALLY THERE

ARE PALMS ALL AROUND HIS HOUSE.

>> CUTTING OFF THE CHAFF NATIVE

AMERICANS. USE THIS AS A VERY

GOOD FOR CUTS, SCRAPES, EARLS

HOUSE BUILT IN 18, 90 LONELY

PART BEING IN A SAVE THE HOUSE

TO IT WAS GOING TO BE

DEMOLISHED AND THROWN INTO A

LANDFILL. THE PALMS, HE'S AN

ENGINE BEHIND THEIR

RESURRECTION WERE IN CLAYTON,

NORTH CAROLINA AT MATTHEWS

MOTORS, BUSINESSES HAVE HIS

BABIES AND ANOTHER GENERATION

MAY BLUE. THEY'RE HAVING GRAND

BABIES. MY BABIES ARE HAVING

BABIES IVAN'S KIND 7

GENERATIONAL. CAROLYN. AGAIN,

I'LL QUOTE THAT THE WRITERS

WILL FLOOR IS LIKE A PALM TREE

AND IS JUST SOMETHING IN YOUR

SOUL ABOUT WATCHING ONE OF

THESE LITTLE BABIES GROW.

>> IT WAS ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT

PALM IT'S JUST THIS IS I WAS

AROUND HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I THINK I MIGHT HAVE A BIT MORE

OF A GREEN THUMB THAT I LOVE

POETRY, THE FRONT YARD BY THE

EVENING. SO HE'S BEEN GROWING

THOSE PALM TREES FOR MORE THAN