Lancaster offers a Street Tree Planting Program which allows community members to help make a difference.
All residents and businesses of Lancaster, Pennsylvania are able to take part in the Street Tree Planting Program. This program was made available to help create more tree’s inn the Lancaster area. Those who are interested in planting a tree through the program only have to pay for the cost of the tree itself. All other costs will be covered by the program. Any questions related to the program can be directed to the City Arborist. The City Arborist will help you both pick out your tree and a destination as to where your tree will be planted.
Getting involved with the program is not a hard process. You must first contact city staff (either by calling 717-291-4846 or by emailing Jim Bower, Lancaster’s arborist, at jbower@cityoflancasterpa.com) and include your contact information as well as the type of tree you wish to plant and an idea of where you want it to be planted. Once city staff have received your request, they will visit the desired site of the tree and send you a Tree Planting Release form as well as suggested tree types for your choosing. The prices of these trees can range anywhere from $165 to $230. You will not be responsible for any work that needs to be done to the planting site (stump removal, concrete removal, etc.).
Once you receive the Tree Planting Release form, you are too fill it out and mail it in along with a check covering the cost of your selected tree type. Once the form is received, city arborist Jim Bower will approve the planting process.
After approval, the city will prepare the best location for your tree to be planted. Once a destination has been finalized, the city will deliver and plant the tree. The city will also provide a watering bag that wraps around the trunk of the tree. This will ensure that the tree has the best chance of growing as possible.
Following all of the cities help, it is your responsibility to properly maintain your tree. The first two years that the tree is planted, it will need to be watered weekly. Removing litter from the surrounding areas of the tree is also extremely important to ensuring the full development of the tree. If needed, contact the city arborist about pruning.
The program divides all of its trees into three categories: large, medium, and small. All different sizes of trees are available for the citizens choosing. Prices will vary depending on different tree species.
Benefits of Trees
This program is and will continue to bring many positive effects to the Lancaster area. Planting more trees will lead to cleaner air we breathe as trees produce oxygen and reduce smug. Trees also serve as a natural “air-conditioner” as the evaporation caused from trees can produce large cooling effects to the areas surrounding them. Along with the many other positive effects that tress will have on the environment, there all also numerous economic impacts that trees have on society. Tree windbreaks can reduce residential heating costs 10-15%. On the other hand, evaporation and shading cooling from these trees can cut residential air-conditioning costs anywhere from 20-50%. The environment is in danger and in order to achieve sustainability, it is our duty to do all that we can to ensure our survival without jeopardizing those who come after us.
Other locations
Many other locations have a program like the Lancaster Street Tree Planting Program. Although other locations may require different steps to be taken to plant a tree, it is still worth the extra effort to contact your city arborist and find out what you can do to make a change. No matter where you are residing whether it is the beautiful city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania or all the way across the country, there will still be a program that will allow your community to get involved and make the world a beautiful place to live for years to come.
Felix Finkbeiner
Felix Finkbeiner is a teenager who has been planting trees since he was a small child to help combat the issues that come along with climate change. At just 9 years old, Finkbeiner spoke to the United Nations General Assembly to discuss how not enough adults were taking actions to help preserve the environment. To help provide a better world for the future, Finkbeiner started the environment group “Plant-for-the-Planet”. This group then went on to partner with the United Nations “Billion Tree Campaign. Together, the two groups set a new goal of one trillion trees (this is the equivalent to about 150 trees per person).
Jadav Payeng
Since 1979, Jadav Payeng has been planting tons of trees on his island to help combat its problems with erosion. Majuli Island, located in Northeast India was slowly becoming a a barren wasteland with the Barhmaputra River eroding continuously overtime. Since 1917, this island has lost over half of its entire land mass due to this heavy erosion. Because of Jadav Payeng, this island now has a forest larger than Central Park. This forest inhabitants all kinds of organisms and Payeng still considers it his duty to protect his island from ongoing threats.
Works Cited:
http://www.saveitlancaster.com/resources/all-about-trees/street-trees/