Butler residents adopt specially selected trees
Despite having a limited amount of green space at his Butler home, Stephen Sheptak had a new tree planted in his yard Wednesday.
Sheptak applied for the Adopt-A-Tree program through the Butler Shade Tree Commission, and its members were able to pick a tree that best fit the conditions of his environment.
The small area between his yard and the road was perfect for the small stature of a hornbeam tree.
“We left it up to them what they thought would be good for our area and what they thought we should plant,” Sheptak said. “It's nice to be able to have some of this in the city around our streets and everything. They put the tree right in front of my property.”
The Butler Shade Tree Commission planted these trees in residents’ yards for free Wednesday, as part of its Adopt-A-Tree program, which its chairwoman Diane Smith said aims to keep the city populated with healthy trees.
Besides the hornbeam tree, First Street saw a new redbud tree planted because the street has a lot of utility poles and redbuds don’t grow to a height that would interfere with the power lines; Washington Street saw the addition of a ginkgo tree because they are generally adaptable to urban settings; and East Pearl Street saw a new hawthorn tree because they thrive in areas with a lot of green space.
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