Letter to the editor: Not too late to keep the trees in Hempfield development

The television program “Today” on Aug. 27 featured a report that shows how greening communities can improve the health of residents. Trees actually reduce inflammation in humans, which means reducing long-term chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer. No prescription needed.

The property between the Mt. Pleasant Road and Cedar Street exits of the Route 30 bypass in Hempfield has acres of mature deciduous trees and evergreens. These trees are now in the path of development, but with some thoughtful planning, it need not be so.

The township’s Weatherwood Park would be an even more beneficial community asset if designed in a way that retains mature trees, particularly the evergreens, which are fantastic at filtering the pollutants from cars and vehicles whizzing by on Route 30. It would be so much better to picnic and play there when the air around you is clean!

The park is to be built in phases. So there is still time to modify the designs to leave many of these beneficial trees standing.

The Inflation Reduction Act provides billions of dollars for urban forestry. We already have it here. Let’s not lose this great green asset that other communities are scrambling to create.

Karen Jurkovic

Greensburg