The MLB Cleveland Guardians have partnered with The Davey Tree Expert Company for a new community initiative to help re-establish the tree canopy in Cleveland. Through the “Swing for the Trees” program, the two Northeast Ohio-based organizations have agreed to plant one tree in the Cleveland area for every home run hit by a Guardians player at Progressive Field during the 2022 season.
Davey Tree employees and Guardians’ players and officials will gather at planting events held next spring to plant the trees in the community. Locations for the tree plantings will be announced late summer.
Sandra Reid, vice president of corporate communications and strategic planning at Davey Tree, said that the company is excited for this new partnership because it will bring trees to the city and educate fans about tree benefits, all while the fans get to enjoy baseball. “We here at Davey recognize the importance of trees in our community and the lasting impacts they offer our neighborhoods, citizens and environment,” she said. “We’re excited to be a part of a program that will make Cleveland a greener place, and we look forward to rooting on our Guardians team to score lots of home runs this season.”
Education about the importance of trees for the overall health of our community will be displayed to fans during games through the scoreboard and social media content throughout the season. Some facts that will be shown are that trees save more than 850 lives a year by removing air pollution, according to the USDA Forest Service, and that those living in neighborhoods with a sizeable tree canopy suffer less from depression, anxiety and stress, according to BioScience.
