Hamilton College Hockey Players Plant Trees in City of Utica

Hockey players from Hamilton College in Clinton were assisting DPW workers in the city of Utica on Saturday in a beautification project in Kemble Park. 

It's called the Urban Utica Forest Revitalization Project and students from Hamilton area working with Mayor Michael Galime and the city to add trees to parts of Utica where there's a void.

The project is part of a $3 million federal grant designed to bring green space to America's cities. According to the Mayor's office, students and city workers planted three different varieties of trees in the park area: Amelanchier, Carolina Beech, and Ohio Buckeye.

In all, Galime says that some 2,000 trees will be planted and planting days are scheduled for Saturdays through October. The project also involves students from Proctor High School, Mohawk Valley Community College and Utica University.

Read More: Munson Completes Enormous Landscape Project

Beech Tree

The beech tree (Fagus species) is a large, deciduous tree native to temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. Known for its smooth, gray bark and dense canopy, it can grow over 100 feet tall and live for centuries. Its leaves are oval with serrated edges, turning golden bronze in autumn before falling. Beeches produce small, triangular nuts called beech mast, which provide food for wildlife. Valued for their strength and fine grain, beech trees are also an important source of timber, used in furniture and flooring. Their stately form and shade make them a popular choice in parks and landscapes.

Amelanchier Tree

The Amelanchier, often called serviceberry, juneberry, or shadbush, is a small deciduous tree or large shrub native to North America and parts of Europe. It is admired for its delicate, star-shaped white flowers that bloom in early spring, often before the leaves fully emerge. The foliage is oval, turning brilliant shades of orange, red, and gold in autumn. By summer, the tree produces small, edible berries that resemble blueberries in flavor and attract birds and wildlife. Compact and graceful, the Amelanchier is often planted for ornamental beauty as well as its value to pollinators and ecosystems.

Carolina Beech Tree

The Carolina beech, more commonly known as the American beech (Fagus grandifolia), is a stately deciduous tree native to the eastern United States, including the Carolinas. It is recognized by its smooth, silvery-gray bark and broad, spreading crown that can reach 50–70 feet in height. The leaves are oval, dark green, and serrated, turning a rich golden bronze in autumn and often persisting through winter in younger trees. In the fall, it produces small, spiny husks containing edible beechnuts, which serve as an important food source for wildlife. Carolina beeches are long-lived, shade-tolerant trees that thrive in rich, moist forests and are valued for both their ecological importance and ornamental beauty.