• National Grid Gives City $50,000 Grant Toward Reforestation

• Panel Discussion and Ceremonial Tree Planting to Highlight ‘Right Tree. Right Place’ Strategy for Renewal

Worcester, M.A., October 1, 2009-- Forestry industry leaders from across the region will come together tomorrow, October 2, 2009, to discuss the future of urban forestry in an interactive panel at City Hall, 455 Main St., Worcester, Mass., and will focus on urban reforestation and preservation under the ‘Right Tree. Right Place’ theme. National Grid, the City of Worcester, the United States Department of Agriculture APHIS and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Conservation and Recreation will be on hand as they team up to replant Worcester’s urban forests that have suffered as a result of Asian Longhorn Beetle infestation and the ice storm of 2008.

To assist in the effort, National Grid has given the City of Worcester a $50,000 grant for tree replanting and will participate with city and forestry leaders in the panel discussion. Following the panel, National Grid will lead a ceremonial tree planting and present the City of Worcester with a plaque in commemoration of the event.

“National Grid’s forestry team is thrilled to demonstrate the power of action by contributing to the renewal of Worcester’s urban forest in the aftermath of a serious Asian Longhorn Beetle infestation,” said Anne-Marie Moran, lead arborist, National Grid, and a panel participant. “The focus of this renewal is to promote planting the right tree in the right place, which is an important lesson for our customers and communities to embrace as we work together to protect the environment and reduce the frequency of tree-related power outages.”

The objective of the event is to bring together municipal, community and forestry leaders for a candid lesson in what Worcester and other communities can do to best prepare for and respond to forestry challenges from weather, wildlife, andfinancial constraints that frequently harm urban forests.

“Worcester’s unique urban landscape has been dramatically changed as a result of the loss of more than 23,000 trees,” said Head Forester Brian Breveleri, City of Worcester. “However, we intend to use the experiences learned from the eradication of the invasive beetle and last winter’s ice storm as an opportunity to think differently and strategically about reforestation. We are committed to replanting and will look to new approaches to preserve our urban forest for generations to come.”

Selected panel topics will include: lessons learned, success stories, best practices in forestry, crisis preparation and management, the importance of building private and public partnerships and the power of action.

“It is important to recognize the macro-level challenges that were faced before the ALB and ice storm hit and some of the good systems that were in place to facilitate the response to the larger situations as they arose,” said Eric Seaborn, project manager, DCR. “Part of the purpose of this upcoming panel is to help people to recognize the opportunities that can arise out of such damage and to embrace the challenge of learning from past experiences and creating a healthier urban forest for the future. I think that the collaboration and cooperation that have come from this recent reforestation effort alone speak to the way in which we can turn hard times into valuable opportunities.”

Individuals interested in attending the event may contact Patty Kennedy at kennedyp@ci.worcester.ma.us

National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.