Springfield, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/07/2014 -- On October 4, 2104 volunteers from Regreen Springfield, a non-profit tree advocacy group in Springfield, Massachusetts, planted new trees in Springfield Cemetery, a historic landscape located in Springfield. The planting is part of an effort to help restore the tree canopy in the cemetery decimated by storm events in 2011, including an EF-3 tornado and early winter snow storm. The new trees, which are the same species of Flowering Dogwood trees originally planted along Cemetery Lane, the main entry to the site, offer spectacular color in the spring, summer shade and vibrant fall color.

Over 20 volunteers worked to plant the trees and enhance the area along Cemetery Lane which leads from the densely developed city center of Springfield into the open space of the cemetery. The volunteers included students from Cathedral, East Longmeadow and Minnechaug High Schools, along with members of the Springfield Garden Club and the Federated Garden Clubs of Massachusetts. This effort is one of several tree planting and landscape projects planned by Regreen Springfield this fall.

About Springfield Cemetery
Springfield Cemetery is one of the oldest "Garden" or "Rural" cemeteries in the country, and was established in 1841. Cemeteries such as Springfield Cemetery, are called "rural cemeteries" even though most are in or near urban centers, but of their carefully designed park-like landscapes of rolling hills; valleys; willow, cypress, and pine stands; and exotic paintings; winding paths; and well-sited, appropriately and artificially aged-looking Gothic or Egyptian architecture - all providing an atmosphere of peace, contemplation, and order.

There are about 14 generations of New Englanders buried in Springfield Cemetery, forming part of national history going back into the sixteen hundreds. Springfield Cemetery is a rural cemetery that highlights both history and natural beauty. There are over a million plantings in the Cemetery that create a natural appeal of beauty and serenity.and contains grave sites and monuments of prominent citizens. Stones and tablets dating back to 1664 can be found in the cemetery, which were moved into the Cemetery from other early burial sites in Springfield.

For more information on upcoming Regreen Springfield tree planting, workshops and other events, please visit http://www.regreenspringfield.org/events