Medina will plant 62 trees along Gwinn Street

File photo by Tom Rivers – Students from Oak Orchard Elementary School helped plant trees along West Avenue in Medina during an Arbor Day celebration last April 26.

MEDINA – The village’s Tree Board has a plan for 62 new trees along Gwinn Street this spring, part of the village’s ongoing effort to plant new trees on the major arteries in Medina.

The new trees will go north of the driveway leading to the middle school to James Street.

“This will really be a nice impact on that street,” said Chris Busch, the Tree Board chairman.

He is talking with a possible donor about planting a lot of trees on Park Avenue as well.

The National Arbor Day Foundation has given Medina a “Tree City Growth Award” and has designated the community a “Tree City USA” for its commitment to planting trees every year.

Medina last year planted 60 trees, with most of those on Main Street, West Avenue and Park Avenue.

The village made a commitment about a decade ago to add trees after many mature trees were removed in infrastructure projects or fell down due to storms.

Medina is first focusing on the heavily trafficked streets and will then move to the side streets for the tree planting program, Busch said. After this year, Gwinn Street will be nearly done with tree plantings.

“We’ve made incredible progress the last 10 years,” he said during Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting, when that board endorsed the tree planting plan for 2014.

Busch is also the Planning Board chairman. He was praised by Planning Board member Marguerite Sherman for the impact the new trees are having in the community.