The first sixteen trees were planted on the Memorial Plaza

The first dozen of nearly 400 Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) trees were planted on the plaza of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum on August 28th. The trees marked a major milestone on the road to opening the Memorial plaza to the public next year, on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. Memorial President Joe Daniels was joined by Port Authority Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni to mark the occasion.

The trees were planted in a complex soil-supported paving surface and a unique cistern system designed to sustain the “urban forest.” They were carried two by two on flatbed trucks to the World Trade Center site from a nursery in New Jersey, where they have been growing since 2007. The average height of the trees is currently 30 feet with leaf canopies between 18 feet and 20 feet wide. They are expected to grow to heights reaching 80 feet.

“Over this next year, the trees will continue to be planted in stages as sections of the Memorial Plaza are completed,” said 9/11 Memorial Chairman Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a written statement. “The Memorial grove will symbolize hope and renewal, and create a vital new green space in the heart of Lower Manhattan.”

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