Aiken, SC, received $1M from Robert Johnston to combat oak wilt, saving its urban trees.

Aiken, South Carolina, has received a $1 million donation from Robert Johnston, founder of Aiken Streetscapes, to fight oak wilt disease, a fungal infection threatening the city’s trees. The funds, managed through the Community Foundation, will support removing infected trees and planting new ones across South Carolina. The disease has already affected 22 trees on Charleston Street, mostly water oaks, which have been cut down, leaving stumps behind. The effort aims to halt the disease’s spread and protect the urban forest.