100 Days 100 Trees Initiative photo via Tyler Maxwell Twitter page

Fresno District 4 Councilmember Tyler kicked off his “100 Days 100 Trees” initiative at Cary Park on Saturday to help beautify and clean the air in Central Fresno

The initiative is being done in collaboration with the City of Fresno Public Works and PARCS Departments and Tree Fresno.

The 100 trees will be donated by Tree Fresno and will be planted with the help from schools, children and community volunteers.

Maxwell said he grew up in Central Fresno and saw the maintenance of parks and public greenery lapse over the years, and that it was a major concern he heard from residents when he was campaigning for office.

“People are no longer are using our parks. People don’t want to do business in our district anymore because of all the blight. 100 Days 100 Trees is seeking to make the parks an enjoyable place for families to go again and rejuvenate and restore major corridors so people want to do business in our district again,” Maxwell said.

Drip irrigation systems for the trees will cost a few thousand dollars, Maxwell said.

The first 10 trees were planted at Cary Park on Saturday.

Trees will continue to be planted along the Cedar Avenue Corridor from Gettysburg Avenue to the Shields avenue median islands.

The last tree-planting event will be at Robinson Park at 4 p.m. April 22 — Earth Day.

“Our district’s parks and green spaces have gone neglected for years. It’s long past due that we reinvest back into them, beautify our neighborhoods, clean our air, and reclaim our public spaces from neglect,” said Maxwell. “By planting 100 new trees and installing water efficient irrigation, we’ll make meaningful strides toward that vision. This is an effort our office hopes to continue for years to come.”