Residents of Queen Street in Elmira may have noticed a new, leafy addition to their roadway this week after volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of Elmira and their Trees for Elmira group planted 25 oak, sugar maple and common hackberry trees Apr. 24 as a kickoff to their latest project.
The club, led by Kiwanis Club member and Trees for Elmira chairman Allan Poffenroth, recognized a need for more tree canopy in the town and decided to take matters into their own hands.
“I walk daily and I just felt that there are a lot of areas where we are lacking trees in public areas,” explained Poffenroth, a Kiwanis member for more than 30 years. “I love walking down South Street where it’s almost a canopy over the street under the tall trees.”
In addition to the trees planted this past weekend, the group has committed to planting trees next fall in public areas such as boulevards, parks and cemeteries. The project is supported by the Township of Woolwich.
“The township is on board and they helped us by donating $500. The trees cost about $200 each, so throughout this upcoming year we are going to have to start thinking about ways to fundraise.”
Interested donors may contact the Kiwanis Club of Elmira; charitable donation receipts will be provided.
“Our plan is to do this for many years to come,” said Poffenroth. “Our generation has to do something about this so that the next generations can enjoy a town with lots of green space.”
