Monroe Street Cemetery Planting

New trees planted among existing gravestones.

Over the past four years, Monroe Street Cemetery Foundation has planted 50 new trees in the Ohio City neighborhood on Cleveland’s west side. With help from the community, student volunteers from Saint Ignatius, and volunteer arborists from Western Reserve Land Conservancy, nearly all the trees are currently establishing their roots. Already a beautiful greenspace with plenty of trees, the work at Monroe Street Cemetery is a great example of succession planting.  

Succession planting is the planting of new trees with the expectation that they will someday take the place of older trees in the urban canopy. Many of the trees in Monroe Street Cemetery are at least a hundred years old and coming towards the end of their lifespan. Losing these trees without replacing them would result in loss of shade within the largest greenspace in Ohio City. The Monroe Street Cemetery Foundation’s work is invaluable to living up to our name as the “Forest City.” 

TL;DR 

Who: Monroe Street Cemetery Foundation 

What: Planting 50 new trees 

Where: Monroe Street Cemetery in the Ohio City Neighborhood 

When: 2021-2025 

How: Through CTC grant funds, volunteer arborists, students, and community support.