Author: Jim Metzger
On Saturday, March 2, Hillcrest residents and merchants joined together to plant ten more trees
in the neighborhood. Golden maples were planted along Kavanaugh and Lee streets, and in
addition on some side streets like Midland, Cedar, and Monroe. Last fall, the HMA and
HRA boards allocated additional funds for landscaping use in Hillcrest. Many residents
had responded to a December letter from the HRA that offered new trees at no cost to
them.
The groups are financially supporting the planting of trees on quasi-public land (e.g.,
median strips between streets and sidewalks, traffic islands). According to the Nature
Conservancy, “...(the) urban forest not only makes the area more beautiful and cools the urban
environment in the summer but also, and most importantly, it absorbs tons of carbon and
pollutants, acting as an offset against climate change.”
These recent attempts to beautify the neighborhood are changing the look of several busy
Hillcrest areas. All Hillcrest residents can help the project by watering the new trees
during the summer months. “Adopt” a new tree in your area and provide two or three
gallons of water twice each week during the dry periods – it will make all the difference
during the first summer after planting. As the poet Alfred Joyce Kilmer wrote before he was
killed in France during WWI:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree...
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair...
If you can help or have any questions, please contact one of the HRA board members.