Swansboro retiree digs in, planting live oaks to keep ENC in the shade
SWANSBORO, Onslow County — Some people call him “the Lorax of Swansboro.”
Doug Rogers says he has been called worse.
Rogers, a retired Swansboro man, considers himself a tree fanatic. Since moving to the area, he has made it his mission to plant live oaks across Eastern Carolina.
“I’ll look at something like that tree there and I go, yeah, this is a living entity that has been here for hundreds of years,” Rogers said. “Think about what it’s seen.”
Rogers says he has planted 11 trees in Swansboro and about 140 total when including areas from Morehead City to Beaufort.
He says the effort started after he noticed more oak trees being cut down across the area.
“Some folks, and this is what really turns my stomach, they cut them down because they are messy,” Rogers said.
Instead of watching the trees disappear, Rogers started planting them. Many have been placed in his neighbors’ yards.
One of those neighbors is Carolyn, who says Rogers gave her more than just a tree.
“There are some people that don’t know that these beautiful live oaks come from these itty bitty acorns,” Carolyn said. “That’s a miracle within itself.”
Carolyn’s tree came from acorns connected to a historic live oak in Hampstead, North Carolina. Hampstead is in Pender County, between Wilmington and Jacksonville, near the Onslow County line.
Rogers told her the acorns came from a tree George Washington sat under during his 1791 tour of the South.
“He planted the tree, he told me the story of the tree, I wrote it down to keep with my children,” Carolyn said.
She says she hopes the story continues for generations.
“They can hopefully be here and tell that story to their children and their children,” Carolyn said.
Other neighbors have also taken note of Rogers’ work.
“The ones that Doug is planting now, future generations are gonna be standing under, my hope, and enjoying them just like we’re enjoying the shade,” one neighbor said.
For Rogers, the reward may not come for many years. He knows some of the trees he plants may not survive, but he says even a small number growing into mature live oaks would be enough.
“If only 20% of them make it to this point, that’s an accomplishment,” Rogers said. “Go to my grave saying I had something to do with this.”
Rogers says his hope is simple: to leave behind shade, history and a legacy rooted in Eastern Carolina.