Columbus Launches Tree Planting Initiative

The City of Columbus has launched a 2.5 million dollar project to plant more trees in the city, with a focus on urban areas. City officials say the "Branch Out Columbus" campaign calls for planting 300-thousand trees across the city by the year 2020. The city will provide 20 thousand dollars to fund 50-dollar rebates for residents who plant trees themselves. Several non-profit groups are participating and will help with project costs. Officials say the local tree canopy covers 22 percent of the city, a percentage lower than in other cities of similar size.