75 new trees planted in FDR Park in South Philly

Democratic National Convention — Source: The Washington Post / Getty

FDR Park will now be getting a eco update in the coming months, as new trees will be rooted into the soil of South Philly.

After nearly 50 tress were removed from the landmark last year to make way for more than two dozen athletic fields and courts, Volunteers with the Fairmount Park Conservancy and TD Bank planted 75 new trees at FDR Park in South Philadelphia.

The 75 new native trees are located in the entrance area of the park.

This is part of a city-wide effort to plant over 1,000 trees in Philadelphia’s public parks by the end of the fall. The goal is to promote the city’s climate resilience and demonstrate how trees provide public health benefits to all Philadelphians.

The planting is part of a larger renovation aimed at increasing biodiversity by diversifying the tree canopy and other plantings. The trees were also selected to absorb stormwater.

The new trees are being planted alongside the removal of some declining trees to create a more resilient and healthy forest structure, as planting trees in small batches is now considered a better practice than planting a single, large batch.