The Lebanon Garden Club planted 10 ornamental trees in Lebanon last month in an effort to help build a tree canopy within the community.
Nine of the trees were planted along Williams Street between Grant and Wheeler, while the tenth tree was planted at Pioneer Cemetery.
The new trees along Williams Street – which will be maintained by homeowners – include kousa dogwoods, Japanese snowbells, serviceberries and an eastern redbud.
“We chose Williams because it is a busy, noisy street with very little shade,” explained Linda Ziedrich, leader of the project. “Street trees help slow traffic and make the sidewalks more comfortable for pedestrians, besides beautifying the area.
Many of the planting strips along Williams, however, had underground utilities, so two applicants who wanted trees had to be turned down, and one tree was planted on E Isabella Street while another was planted on Grove Street.
At Pioneer Cemetery, the Garden Club planted a pink-flowered kousa dogwood at the edge of the William Ralston plot where a long-gone tree once stood. The Friends of Pioneer Cemetery committed to continue care for the tree as needed.
The club worked with Blue Heron Nursery, which supplied the trees at wholesale prices, and the City of Lebanon, which provided stakes, ties, watering bags and tree-delivery service.
Zeidrich said the planting project was in part a response to Lebanon’s hot summers.
“The city has a meager tree canopy,” she said, “and we seem to be losing more trees than we’re planting. I hope these 10 trees represent the start of a reversal of that trend.”