In response to concerns over Hartford’s dwindling tree canopy, Knox Parks has created a fund dedicated to the planting of new trees in Hartford. The initial goal of the Plant a Tree Fund is to raise enough money to replant trees in the 40 vacant tree wells in Downtown Hartford. For every $500 raised, Knox will remove the stump left by a well’s previous arboreal inhabitant, replace the soil, and plant a healthy tree. Knox will keep track of which funds are used to plant which trees so that donors can visit “their tree” and watch it grow into maturity.

Since all of these wells are located near buildings and surrounded by concrete, replanting trees in them will maximize the cooling and cleansing environmental benefits of each tree planted. This is because trees planted near streets with a high traffic volume remove 9 times more pollutants than trees planted away from traffic areas, and concrete parking lots and asphalt streets lacking shade increase urban temperatures by 3-7 degrees. Therefore, each tree planted in a well will remove the most carbon dioxide and particulate matter from the air while reducing city temperatures (and thus summer energy costs) by the greatest possible degree.  

 To make a tax-deductible donation to the “Plant a Tree Fund,” please mail your gift to Knox Parks Foundation, 75 Laurel St. Hartford, CT 06106-1345 with checks payable to “Knox Parks Foundation” and “Plant a Tree Fund” in the memo line, or make a credit card donation through the Network for Good and include “Plant a Tree Fund” in the designation line.

More information on Hartford’s Urban Forest and the challenges of preserving it is available in the PDF document “Hartford’s Urban Forest— the Challenge,”