As part of an initiative to plant 1,000 new trees, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall planted the final tree this morning with her family.
The London Planetree was planted in Riverside Park, in an effort to improve environmental equity by specifically planting in west side neighborhoods, known for high levels of poor air quality.
The 1,000 Trees Initiative took on greater significance during the pandemic, and when hurricane-force winds downed thousands of trees citywide on September 8.
“I’m so happy to have planted this tree in the ground today. This moment marks an important goal for our City realized, and while we couldn’t all be there together to celebrate, I’m heartened by the years of benefits our city’s residents will gain from the 1,000 trees we planted this year,” Mayor Mendenhall said. “By adding an additional 1,000 trees over and above what we typically do, we stand to actually increase our urban forest year after year. I can’t thank our partners, volunteers, and our City teams enough for seeing this through.”
The initiative was one of Mendenhall's campaign promises to add 1,000 more trees to the city's west side every year she is in office.
