The donations are part of a $200,000 commitment PeoplesBank has made for tornado relief.
PeoplesBank announced that it is donating $80,000 to help replace trees destroyed by the June 1 tornadoes. Douglas A. Bowen, president and CEO of PeoplesBank, far right, presented a check for $40,000 to the city of Springfield to plant trees like the American Elm at right in public places in neighborhoods hit by the storm. The presentation, attended by, from left, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Edward P. Casey, city forester, and Patrick Sullivan, executive director of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management, was made at the corner of Mary Street and Island Pond Road.SPRINGFIELD – PeoplesBank announced Thursday that it is donating $80,000 to help replace trees destroyed in five Western Massachusetts communities by the tornado of June 1.
Springfield has received $40,000 of that amount for “re-greening” in three neighborhoods. West Springfield will get $15,000 for replanting in the Union Street area. Wilbraham and Monson will receive $10,000 each, and Westfield will receive $5,000 for trees at the Munger Hill School.
The donations are part of a $200,000 commitment PeoplesBank has made for tornado relief.
According to an estimate by the U.S. Forest Service, 1,340 of the 3,340 “public” trees in the parts of Springfield hit by the tornado were destroyed or had to be removed. When trees in yards or other private places are counted, that number is estimated to be 13,000 trees.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno accepted the check for $40,000 from PeoplesBank President Douglas A. Bowen in a ceremony on Island Pond Road.
Against a backdrop of damaged homes and denuded trees, Bowen commented on the importance of trees, not only to a landscape but to a community.
He also presented the city with a young American Elm, its roots bundled up and ready for planting.
“It’s symbolic of what the city is going through,” said Bowen. He referred to a botanic disaster of the mid-1900s, when a fungal disease almost wiped out the American Elm.
The little elm will probably be planted at Nathan Bill Park, one of 10 parks in Springfield affected by the tornado, said Patrick J. Sullivan, director of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management in Springfield.
Edward Casey, city forester, predicted that the little tree would be 25 feet tall in five years. He said the $40,000 would be used to purchase at least 100 mature trees for planting.
Casey said Springfield will work with an arborist strike team from the U.S. Forestry Department, which will bring “a lot of good skills and experience” to the process.
The city will develop a master plan by September, and will begin replanting trees in October.
Among the Springfield streets that can expect trees are Island Pond and Plumtree roads, Walnut and Central streets and South Branch Parkway.
Bowen said PeoplesBank has been “a leader in green financing,” and has donated to hydro, solar and wind power research. Two of its 16 banks, one in Springfield and one in West Springfield, are LEED-certified, meaning that the U.S. Green Building Council has certified them in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
