Providence Reporter

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Patricia Resende                                                                                 

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City, School, EP Tree Commission and students plant trees at Orlo Avenue Elementary

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – The City of East Providence together with the East Providence Tree Commission and East Providence School Department held a tree planting and outdoor classroom lesson with Orlo Avenue Elementary School students on Wednesday.

“We were excited to once again work with our Tree Commission and the East Providence School Department to continue our efforts in being environmentally responsible while also having the opportunity to provide an outdoor classroom experience for Orlo Avenue students,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said. “We look forward to this continued collaboration in planting more trees at our schools and throughout the City.”

“The EP Tree Commission analyzed the city's tree inventory and heat islands and Orlo Avenue Elementary School showed a high need for tree cover so the planning began,” East Providence Tree Commission Vice Chair Jenn Tierney said.

Grade 4 students learned how to properly plant a tree, thanks to Doug Still, principal of This Old Tree Consulting, who reminded students that trees provide canopies to help provide shade to residents and that the new trees will provide a cool place to rest in the schoolyard.

 “True learning happens when we are able to bring real-life experiences to children,” Superintendent Dr. Sandra Forand said. “We are truly grateful for the opportunity to partner with the city and East Providence Tree Commission in creating a healthy, educational and welcoming school environment. 

“We are looking forward to continued collaboration in expanding this effort to more schools,” Dr. Forand added.

City and School Department Officials joined the members of the Tree Commission to plant the 10 trees which consisted of Black Tupelo, Red Maple and River Birch trees and were personally identified by Commission Chair Dr. Carol Auer as the most appropriate species for the location.

“East Providence has made urban forestry a significant priority in recent years,” East Providence Planning and Economic Development Dir. William Fazioli said. “We have partnered with EP Urban Forest to organize tree plantings, re-established the City's Tree Commission, adopted the state's first native tree ordinance, hosted the Rhode Island Arbor Day celebration, conducted a city-wide tree inventory and implemented a tree equity map to help us identify areas that will benefit from tree plantings.

“All of these efforts underscore the many benefits of trees in our community and local schools are a great place to showcase the importance of trees to the next generation,” Fazioli added.

The event was organized by East Providence Planner Johanna Walczak and plantings were completed with help from PACE –RI CEO Joan Kwiatkowski and her team of PACE-RI volunteers.

“PACE-RI is proud to be headquartered here in East Providence and grateful for the Mayor’s environmental stewardship,” PACE-RI CEO Joan Kwiatkowki said. “We want to be an environmentally responsible neighbor so we’ll help plant trees, compost in our kitchen, recycle in our offices, and we plan to purchase electric vehicles. It all ties in with our non-profit mission to be socially responsible.”

Original source can be found here.