Lewisburg plants native trees to boost shade and stormwater control

Lewisburg put eight bare-root native trees into the ground on public property, concentrating the largest cluster near the Bull Run stream corridor behind Brendan’s Town Tavern and adding more along North Second Street where borough crews are replacing trees that were removed. The planting was handled by members of the Lewisburg Borough Public Works Department, with Lewisburg Neighborhoods, the Lewisburg Shade Tree Commission and Tree Pennsylvania all involved in a project aimed at more than curb appeal.

The borough is treating the work as a small but practical piece of infrastructure. Lewisburg says trees help reduce runoff by increasing soil permeability, and officials expect the new canopy to do more than decorate the street. The trees are intended to absorb stormwater, add shade, improve air quality and make the downtown more climate-resilient, especially in places where tree loss has left blocks hotter and more exposed to heavy rain. The focus on the Bull Run corridor also puts the borough’s attention on a drainage-sensitive stretch of town where every added root system and patch of shade can carry long-term value.

That strategy fits the mission of the Shade Tree Commission, which says it exists to preserve, protect and replace shade trees for beauty, environmental health, enhanced property value and wildlife habitat. The commission is authorized to work on borough streets, public rights-of-way and municipal open space, and Lewisburg requires permits for the removal or planting of any tree in the borough right-of-way. Borough officials have said mature landscaping can increase residential property value by up to 15 percent, giving the planting effort a direct connection to household finances as well as neighborhood appearance.

Lewisburg’s canopy work is part of a larger pattern. The borough was named a Tree City USA community for the 41st consecutive year in 2026, a designation that requires an active tree board, a tree care ordinance, a documented budget and an Arbor Day observance. In the last five years, more than 120 additional trees have been planted through Hufnagle Park renovations, and borough officials marked Arbor Day with a public planting at Meadow View Court on April 24, the first ceremonial tree planting ever held in Ward IV. Earlier efforts also show the same approach at work: a 2014 community planting day added almost 30 trees with help from a state grant, and a 2022 Shade Tree Commission and Lewisburg Tree Tenders project planted 12 trees throughout the borough.