Alex Otthofer, left, of Lancaster City Alliance, and Julianne Schieffer, an urban forester with Penn State Extension, dig a hole during the planting. (Photo: Tim Stuhldreher)

Volunteers gathered last week to add some greenery at Susquehanna Court Apartments in southeast Lancaster through an initiative of the Lancaster City Alliance and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.

They dug holes and planted native trees, including Kentucky yellowwood, bald cyprus and white oak. The trees were provided through a $1,100 grant through the TreeVitalize program, said Alex Otthofer, Lancaster City Alliance programs and outreach coordinator.

The trees were provided with bare roots, rather with a root ball bagged in burlap. Bare-root trees are hard to get, but "these establish much easier," said Julianne Schieffer, a regional urban forester with Penn State Extension.

As the trees mature, they will add to residents' quality of life and add to the neighborhood tree canopy, a component of the city's climate action plan.

Susquehanna Court is a 75-unit complex managed by the Lancaster City Housing Authority.