Metro, Casey Trees plant dozens of new trees at West Hyattsville Metro Station

/content/dam/wmata-com/migrated-assets/about/news/images/6258139168905337790.jpg

On Saturday, Maryland State Sen. Malcolm Augustine, Hyattsville City Councilmember Danny Schaible, 20 Metro employees, and 20 community members volunteered at a tree planting event at West Hyattsville Station in partnership with Casey Trees, an urban forestry nonprofit.

Forty trees were planted throughout the area, including along the previously treeless sidewalks and pedestrian pathways in the parking area.They include Apple Serviceberry (“Autumn Brilliance”), Catalpa, American Holly, Tulip Tree, Loblolly Pine, Virginia Bird Cherry, Overcup Oak, Willow Oak, and American Sentry trees.

Last year, Metro entered a partnership with Casey Trees to plant trees at Metro stations where tree planting would be both beneficial and logistically feasible. So far, a total of approximately 200 trees have been planted at Southern Ave, Suitland, and West Hyattsville stations. Metro funds are not being used for the project as Casey Trees is providing the trees and maintenance through grant funding.

Planting trees provides many benefits including improving air quality, improving health, shading and air cooling, reducing stormwater runoff, improving biodiversity and ecological health, and helping to beautify the station area. For Metro customers, these trees improve aesthetics and create a more comfortable, enjoyable, and healthy transit experience. Last summer, the region saw record-breaking temperatures, making trees increasingly important for shading and air cooling for customers and employees at Metro stations.

About Casey Trees

Casey Trees is a nonprofit dedicated to restoring, enhancing, and protecting the tree canopy of the nation's capital region. Founded in 2001, Casey Trees plants over 7,000 trees per year, engages with thousands of volunteers, educates youth in local schools on the importance of environmental stewardship, promotes and advocates for policies that support urban forestry and acts as DC's only land conservation trust. Through these efforts, Casey Trees aims to help DC achieve the city's 40% tree canopy goal by 2032. We invite everyone to join us in our mission to create greener, healthier communities for all. Find out more at caseytrees.org.