A tree grows in the Hill Neighborhood

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Volunteers are taking to the streets of New Haven to plant some trees. It's all part of a partnership between TD Bank and a number of local organizations.

A common complaint in New Haven's Hill neighborhood are about the trees; they're falling apart or they're are barely any trees at all. That's why a group of volunteers came together to fix the problem.

"We wrote for a special grant from TD Bank which allowed us to plant 50 trees in this neighborhood that had few trees," explained Colleen Murphy Dunning of Yale University's Urban Resources Initiative.

The Urban Resources Initiative partnered with TD Bank , the City of New Haven and Alliance for Community Trees to take part in Tree Days. New Haven is one of a number of cities across the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom that have been a part of TD's corporate annual environmentally friendly day.

Neighborhoods in need always appreciate the end result.

"They think it's an incredible improvement to the neighborhood and that's really the benefit," said Michael Labella, TD Bank. "When you look at neighborhoods that are coming back, this is really the final benefit and the final esthetic piece."

"I think it's going to bring a different air to the neighborhood and it will look cleaner," said Hill resident Rachelle Ross.

"Shade is one of the values (the trees) provide," Dunning said, "habitat for wildlife, it improves storm water coming off the street by capturing it in the leaves, it helps for climate change."

City agencies helped get the project started by creating the tree pits. Neighbors helped choose the trees to be planted; red maples, dogwoods, and the list goes on. They also promised to help water and care for the trees down the road.

Once the work is done here at the end of the day, it won't look much different. But neighbors and volunteers promise by spring it will be a whole different look and feel in this neighborhood.