The town of Bluffton has created and installed a number of plant holders made from the wood of historic palmetto trees at Wright Family Park.

The plant stands were made of reclaimed wood from the trees as part of the town's palmetto logs project. The town celebrated the completion of the project on Arbor Day.

“Arbor Day is a perfect time to remind ourselves of the contributions trees make to our lives and our community,” Mayor Lisa Sulka said. “The Palmetto Log project is also a way to repurpose the life of local trees so their beauty continues to grace our town’s Historic District.”

The palmetto trees used to create these plant holders were removed by Dominion Energy in April 2021. The power company removed 29 palmettos after stating that they had grown too close to the powerlines on Calhoun Street.

Sulka said many residents were upset by this decision, but despite the town's attempts the company was set on its decision. She said every five years Dominion removes trees that are too close to powerlines.

Sulka said she thought the town needed to do something in memory of these trees that had lined Calhoun Street since the 1930s. She said the town originally believed the trees were planted as a memorial for soldiers who died in World War I, but during the project it found out that wasn't true.

"We knew we needed to do something to honor those who put the palm trees there. One of our engineers came up with the idea for these log pedestals," Sulka said.

Sulka said that although the trees weren't planted in memorial of fallen soldiers, they are part of Bluffton's history and need to be remembered. Alongside the plant holders in Wright Family Park, the town installed a "wooden story board detailing the journey of these palmetto logs."

Sulka said the project demonstrates that the town won't turn a blind eye and allow its history to be forgotten.