BERLIN, Md. — The “Keep Berlin Cool” tree planting initiative will begin planting its first trees in late October, according to the Berlin Horticultural Advisory Committee.
The project is supported by the committee and funded through a grant from the Maryland Coastal Bays Program. Organizers say the campaign aims to increase the town’s urban tree canopy and help reduce stormwater runoff.
Tree plantings will take place on both private and public properties, including a church, a business and eight homes.
The first planting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, when the mayor and council will help plant a grove of small bald cypress trees at Stephen Decatur Park. Officials say the public is welcome to take part.
According to the Berlin Horticultural Advisory Committee, the trees being planted were grown from seeds of the oldest known tree in the eastern United States, a 2,630-year-old bald cypress in the Three Sisters Swamp along the Black River in North Carolina.
A second planting is planned for noon Tuesday, Oct. 28, on the front lawn of Buckingham Presbyterian Church, 20 S. Main St. in Berlin. Organizers invite the public to join in planting four native trees and to learn proper tree planting techniques.