More trees for Syracuse.

Syracuse, New York, is 100 trees richer thanks to a planting in late October by students from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and crew leaders from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County. The trees, donated by AMERICAN FORESTS as part of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's Urban Forestry Initiative, were planted as part of the annual Campus Day of Community Service.

Sponsors for Sen. Clinton's Urban Forestry Initiative include Niagara Mohawk, a National Grid company; International Paper, HSBC; retailer Eddie Bauer; and Starbucks.

Three dozen trees were planted near I-81 on Syracuse Housing Authority property along Almond Street and another 14 at an adjacent housing authority site to spruce up places that lack trees after recent building demolitions. At Kirk Park, students and volunteers planted 50 Tidal Basin cherry trees to enhance the site's potential for outdoor events. Those trees will become part of a plan to connect the area to a botanical garden and arboretum.

Clinton launched the Urban Forestry Initiative in May, announcing a donation of trees to five New York cities: Syracuse, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, and Poughkeepsie. Part of the drive behind the initiative was a report, issued simultaneously, that detailed the cost-benefits of expanded tree cover in urban areas. The report, which was based on a survey conducted by AMERICAN FORESTS, found that the five New York cities fell below AMERICAN FORESTS' recommended 40 percent tree cover totals for the East.

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In addition to AMERICAN FORESTS, project partners were Syracuse Department of Parks and Recreation, Syracuse Housing Authority, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Trees New York.