WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Equipped with shovels, students from the Wilkes-Barre Career and Technical Center walked through downtown Wilkes-Barre on a mission to plant new shade trees along the sidewalks.
"This is the second year that we've been planting shade trees here in downtown Wilkes-Barre. We'll be planting ten trees this year through a cooperative effort between DCP, which is our downtown management organization, the city of Wilkes-Barre, Penn State Extension, our property owners, and our student volunteers from the Wilkes-Barre Career and Technical Center," Said Larry Newman.
Larry Newman with the Diamond City Partnership tells Newswatch 16, this is funded through a grant from the Tree Pennsylvania Program, which is a program funded through the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The student volunteers are here through a horticulture class.
"Personally, I like taking care of the plants and also I plan to, with this class, go into landscaping in the future," said Stephen Pokrifka, student from Plains Township.
"It's really great being able to come out here and plant trees to help with the downtown shade and greenery," added student Macey Durofchalk of Mountain Top.
These trees are replacing many ash trees that were killed by the Emerald Ash Borer. Vinnie Cotrone, an Urban Forester with Penn State, says these trees have been chosen for their resiliency.
"Probably this is the toughest place for a tree to grow--downtown Wilkes Barre or downtown anywhere right?" said Cotrone. So it's going to have to deal with a lot more heat, road salt, traffic, compaction, you name it. I've even seen people pushing and pulling on them and breaking branches so we select tough, tougher species that we know from research and testing, what will work in the downtown."
The new trees along Northampton and Franklin Streets include hybrid varieties of Elm and Maple trees.
