Greeley Park on the west side of Manchester has three new trees, thanks to a $2.2 million federal grant that aims to grow the city’s urban canopy. The project has been in planning for several years, but is rolling out this summer with several tree plantings.
Lynn Gannon went to the tree planting event on Friday with her son, who helped dig several holes to plant the neighborhood’s new trees. She said the trees in her backyard were recently cut down, and she appreciated having more trees in the neighborhood.
“We like nature and just being outdoors,” she said. “It's just fun for the kids. Air and trees are good for the environment. I think it's good that they're planting more.”
Tree ambassadors Rain Bates and Jack Taylor from the city’s Growing a Greener Manchester initiative say other Manchester residents in historically industrialized neighborhoods might also be able to get a free tree in a neighborhood park or their backyard.
Bates added that research indicates adding trees to a neighborhood has a lot of benefits — like lowering crime, calming traffic, improving air quality, making areas more resilient to stormwater, and keeping neighborhoods cooler.
“With constantly breaking the heat records, having trees in your neighborhood will lower the effects felt from that heat. It will help lower your electricity bill,” they said.
The project is hoping to spread the word about the available trees and add 500 trees to the Queen City's canopy before the program is done.
