Treevitalize

The Lehigh Valley has been selected as a pilot region for a new state program, Treevitalize.
The goal of the program is simple: plant 1,000,000 trees throughout Pennsylvania in the next five years. It will do this by giving grants to help municipalities pay for trees. There are a variety of components to this plan, including educational seminars and trainings, but the jist of it is that the state, in conjunction with Lehigh and Northampton County, wants to help bring greenery to the Lehigh Valley.

This is great news. Studies have demonstrated that trees can help enhance property values, reduce electric and gas bills and even improve business for a commercial district.

Interested municipalities will be expected to contribute some of the costs of planting these trees, but the good news here is that the public works department's work on planting and maintaining the trees can count towards that match.

More information on this project is available through Virginia Savage, Lehigh County Manager of Main Street Initiatives. Virginia can be reached at virginiasavage@lehighcounty.org.

This program is good for property values, commercial districts, community pride and the environment...so basically, you can't go wrong!