MOUNT VERNON —Volunteers spent 2,303 volunteer hours in 2025 to plant, prune, and remove trees under the city’s tree program.
Jim Brown, chair of the Shade Tree and Beautification Commission, said volunteers planted 391 trees, pruned 181, and removed 209.
The West End, Sandusky and Catherine streets, near the YMCA, and Ariel-Foundation Park were among the areas receiving new trees.
Volunteers also removed invasive plants such as honeysuckle and made removing pear trees a budget item for 2026. Brown said the state declared pear trees an invasive species.
A 2017 tree inventory listed 800 pear trees on city property. The commission established a goal to remove 80 annually for the next 10 years. It removed 70 in 2025.
Held at Pleasant Street Elementary School, the annual Arbor Day tree planting drew 380 children. Mayor Matt Starr read a proclamation, and school superintendent Bill Seder read a book.
Volunteers planted chestnuts and red oaks along the Kokosing River, handed out native wildflower seeds at First Friday events, and provided education on being a Bee City.
They also planted 187 trees at Heartland Commerce Park that the Area Development Foundation bought. ADF contracted with the shade tree commission to water the trees in 2026.
New trails planned in 2026
Upcoming projects in 2026 include creating new trails in the Delano Field of Discovery. The trails will be patterned after Indian trails throughout the state.
The commission will relocate the Johnny Appleseed tree from the West end to Ariel-Foundation Park and is exploring the addition of a bird habitat.
Commission members would like to start their own nursery and grow Johnny Appleseed, sequoia, and chestnut trees.
Other projects include conducting a city-wide tree inventory and undertaking a two-year effort to create a tree master plan.