In the News
"National Neighbor Woods Month comes to West
Powelton and Cedar Park"
University City Review, November 2005
By Grady Burke
UC Green, University City's network of community greening volunteers, planted over 100 trees on October 29 and 30 as part of the first annual National NeighborWoods Month. The trees come from Pennsylvania's TreeVitalize partnership to restore tree cover in the five-county Philadelphia region.
Over the next two years, UC Green will help coordinate the planting of 600 TreeVitalize trees across University City neighborhoods: Cedar Park, Walnut Hill, Garden Court, Squirrel Hill, West Powelton, Saunders Park, Powelton Village, Spruce Hill, West Shore, and Kingsessing.
This event is one of dozens of re-greening efforts throughout the country being promoted during October, which has been declared National NeighborWoods Month by the national nonprofit, the Alliance for Community Trees (ACT). UC Green is a member of ACT's NeighborWoods Network.
"It's great to be working on an important re-greening effort locally, and to know we are part of a larger initiative," said Amanda Benner, executive director of UC Green. "Community tree planting events help draw attention to the good work being done at the grassroots level all across the region and country to improve urban and community forests."
Without adequate tree canopy coverage, communities are more likely to experience problems with watershed health and storm water overflow because the asphalt, concrete, and other impervious surfaces divert rather than absorb and recharge rainfall. The combined sewer systems typical of older northeastern cities easily become overtaxed or flooding becomes a more common event. An American Forests Urban Ecosystem Study recommends a minimum 40% tree canopy coverage in urban areas. Most of Philadelphia has less than 10%. TreeVitalize's support of community tree plantings will help restore the tree canopy and provide other environmental, social, economic, and health benefits.
"Everybody likes trees, but in addition to the good feeling we get from them, they can raise property values, provide shade for cooling, help clean the air, and can help slow the flow of water from land to rivers during periods of flooding." Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Michael DiBerardinis said.
On Saturday, October 29, over 350 community volunteers came out to help, with supervision from local Tree Tenders trained by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; students from Drexel, Temple, University of Pennsylvania, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia - many as a group from their fraternity or sorority; and Building with Books High School students from University City, Masterman, and Central High Schools. All worked with local residents to plant 100 trees around Powelton Avenue from 38th Street to 43rd Street, and around Cedar Park at 50th Street and Baltimore Ave.
Many key partners worked together on this project to make the community healthier and more beautiful, including: University City District, People's Emergency Center CDC, Fairmount Park Commission, American Cities Foundation's Project Neat, Presbyterian Medical Center, PA Urban and Community Forestry Council, Morris Arboretum, Saunders Park Green, West Powelton, and Cedar Park Neighbors, among others. Additional support and funding was provided by Drexel University, CafŽ Loftus, Ed's Buffalo Wings, Engine 5 Firehouse, Friends of Clark Park, Michelle Murphy, Farm to City, as well as individual property owners and residents.
"We're thrilled to have UC Green participate in our first-ever NeighborWoods Month," said ACT executive director Alice Ewen Walker. ACT has been in existence since 1993 as a problem-solving center for leaders of community-based urban forestry groups. Its founders share a vision of healthy, functioning urban ecosystems nurtured by a broad base of community stewards. Today, ACT is a growing alliance of 68 nonprofit organizations engaged in urban and community forestry. Its members are dedicated to grassroots community greening, public education, policymaking, job training, environmental design and other activities that support better urban forest stewardship.
October's National NeighborWoods Month is sponsored with a generous grant from The Home Depot Foundation. Kelly Caffarelli, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation, said, "We are excited to partner with ACT on this initiative. Our foundation works with affordable housing and tree planting organizations across the country to promote livable, healthy, and affordable communities. This partnership provides a terrific opportunity to further our goals."
UC Green promotes, coordinates, and supports, with its partners, volunteer community greening projects in University City neighborhoods.
See for more information or call 215-573-4684 to get involved. www.ucgreen.org for more information or call 215-573-4684 to get involved.
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