On Saturday, Oct. 28, Hennepin County, Tree Trust and the City of St. Louis Park, along with 65 volunteers, planted 138 trees along Minnetonka Boulevard from Quebec Avenue South east to Webster Avenue South. This stretch of Minnetonka Boulevard has not had a solid canopy of trees since the early 1980s when American elm trees framed this corridor. Through this effort, 22 different varieties of trees were planted, adding a diverse, green mix to this heavily traveled corridor.

This planting was part of Hennepin County’s initiative to plant trees along country streets that have minimal tree canopy, as well as part of the city’s yearly efforts to diversify our community tree canopy. Once the newly-planted trees mature, the tree canopy will provide countless benefits, including improved air and water quality, reduced stormwater runoff, savings in heating and cooling, enhanced livability and increased property values.

A big thank you to the Sunrise Rotary volunteers, Rotary Club of St. Louis Park and the many other passionate volunteers. Thank you as well to St. Louis Park Schools for allowing Lennox to serve as the host site.