TreesLouisville plants trees on Inauguration Day in effort to cool down the city

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- On a mission to cool down the city.

TreesLouisville on Wednesday planted about 20 trees around the Salvation Army Community Center on Beecher Street, in part, to celebrate Inauguration Day.

Planters dug into the ground to start the work toward a cleaner environment. Organizers said Louisville has lost a lot of tree canopy over the years, and when that happens it can feel 10 degrees hotter during the warmer months.

The group said the trees planted Wednesday will control that heat island effect, absorb pollutants and manage stormwater.

The Kentucky native trees may be small now but will grow for decades.

"The trees we plant are meant to be for long term," TreesLouisville Project Manager Michael Hayman said. "We don't plant trees for 10 years or 20 years; we plant trees for, well, 50 years at least. In the most severe urban sites we still want a tree to survive for 50 years or it never does those environmental benefits if it doesn't get large."

TreesLouisville will continue planting trees through the spring. To donate, click here.