NORWICH – The City of Norwich has long been adorned with streets lined with Maples, Oaks, Elms gracefully towering over them, and in an effort to build upon and beautify the urban forest, city officials are in the process of securing potential sites to distrubute more.

The Norwich Street Tree Committee has secured a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Community Urban Forestry Grant Program to plant 25 additional street trees in city “tree lawns” this year.

Tree lawns are a term used to describe the strip of green space between street curbing and the sidewalk.

According to Rebecca Hargrave of the Tree Commission, there are several advantages to planting and maintaining the city's beautiful trees.

Hargrave said research indicates that trees in cities and villages benefit municipalities by providing shade which can substantially reduce energy bills. Additionally, well maintained trees decrease local air temperatures, filter air and water pollutants, and increase property values. Hargrave said that studies on the effects of urban forests have been attributed to reducing blood pressure, improving overall psychological health as well as reducing crime, increasing youth academic performance, creating urban wildlife habitat and a connection to nature.