NHL Green launches legacy tree project for '12 Draft

PITTSBURGH -- As part of the League's commitment to preserve and support the local environments of host cities for NHL events, NHL Green introduces a legacy tree project in Pittsburgh for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

The NHL Foundation is donating 30 trees in total, representing each Member Club's commitment to sustainability. In cooperation with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tree Pittsburgh and the City of Pittsburgh, the trees will neighbor the CONSOL Energy Center, the first NHL venue to achieve LEED Gold certification.

The project will introduce large, leafy trees -- the appropriate species to be determined by Tree Pittsburgh's staff arborist -- to provide shade for Pittsburgh's downtown pedestrian traffic. A number of the incoming trees will replace those that have been lost due to insects, disease, storms, drought, and age related decline.

"NHL Green is proud to work with the Penguins on this sustainability initiative," said Bernadette Mansur, Executive Director of the NHL Foundation. "We thank Penguins fans for their gracious hospitality this weekend and hope these trees serve as a visible reminder of hockey's commitment to our local environment."

The tree-lined streets, parks and hillsides of Pittsburgh are not only a point of community pride, but they also offer substantial benefits to residents -- helping to conserve and reduce energy use, reducing local carbon dioxide levels, improving air quality and mitigating storm water runoff.

The City Forester of Pittsburgh will manage site preparation and will work with Tree Pittsburgh and the Penguins to coordinate the planting, care and maintenance of the trees. Planting is scheduled to take place in the fall, at an optimal time for the trees to establish a good root system prior to winter.

Tree Pittsburgh is an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the City's vitality by restoring and protecting the urban forest through tree maintenance, planting, education and advocacy.