PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — Students with Pinellas Virtual School spent Earth Day replacing hundreds of trees that were knocked down in the back-to-back hurricanes.

A group of students in the school’s climate action club helped to organize the effort. To pay for a bulk of the new trees and associated costs, Pinellas Virtual School received a grant through Take Action Global, a non-profit that’s focused on climate change.

The trees were planted Tuesday at Ed Taylor Preserve which sits beside Pinellas Park City Hall. The students, with help from city workers, planted over 100 trees and almost 300 wetland plants.

What You Need To Know

  • Students with Pinellas Virtual School teamed up with Pinellas Park

  • Trees that were uprooted during the hurricanes were replaced

  •  Students researched, picked best trees for area

  • Replacement project took place at Ed Taylor Preserve 

Kyle Arrison with Pinellas Park’s Public Works Department says many of the trees that were knocked down in the hurricanes were not native to the area. On Tuesday they were replaced with native trees that work well with the preserve's soil, which is very wet during the summer months.

“You’re not going to see large trees immediately,” he said, “In the next 5 to 10 years, you will see the trees grow up and they will be acclimated to the soil and hopefully that will be success for us.”

Students researched which plants and trees would thrive best in the preserve and settled on red maples, elm trees, and cypress trees, as well as hundreds of wetland plants.

“We did some research and we saw which ones were good for Florida and which ones would be good for this park and we chose three different types of trees,” 6th grade student Fatima Muhieddine. “It’s amazing to be out here with my school.”

Muhieddine says one of the best parts was getting her classmates together and involved, and knowing that she’s making a difference in the community.