Haverhill Receives $100,000 State Grant to Plant 300 More Trees Throughout the City

Mayor James J. Fiorentini lends a hand with Haverhill tree planting in 2019. (Courtesy photograph)

Haverhill is one of 10 Massachusetts cities and several nonprofit organizations to receive a state grant to plant trees.

The $100,000 grant to Haverhill is part of the state’s Greening the Gateway Cities Program, which relies on trees to reduce runoff flooding and provide a cooling effect in urban neighborhoods where large areas of pavement create significantly more heat.

“Since taking office, we have invested over $25 million to support the Greening the Gateway Cities Program and have planted nearly 35,000 trees across the Commonwealth, which provide tremendous benefits to our communities, such as improving air quality and lowering energy consumption,” said Gov. Charlie Baker.

Along with funding actual trees, the grant also finances “Adopt-a-Tree” information and materials which residents can access to learn more about tree planting and care.

This program is not the first of its kind to be implemented in Haverhill. In 2019, nearly 500 trees were planted by the Department of Conservation and Recreation as part of a three-year planting effort enacted by Mayor James J. Fiorentini. Of the Greening the Gateway Cities Program, Fiorentini has already made first steps forward.

“Excited and grateful to have received $100,000 state grant to plant and water approximately 300 new Haverhill trees,” Fiorentini wrote Tuesday on social media. “As part of the grant application, we hired a company to find us great locations for the new trees, which we will be planting in the coming weeks.”

Groundwork Lawrence also received $100,000 from the program to plant 100 trees in the South Lawrence West neighborhood and 50 trees at Campagnone North Common. The nonprofit was also awarded $15,000 to organize door-to-door canvassing, literature mailings and exhibits at community events to raise awareness of tree planting efforts and benefits of trees in urban areas.

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