The Cleveland Cavaliers made 433 three-pointers at their home games during the regular season last year, which ended with an NBA Championship.

While those points were planted in the hoop, they're soon to bloom green courtesy of the Trees for Threes program, which is a partnership program between the Cavs, PwC, Holden Arboretum, Davey Tree and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC).

Last Wednesday, Oct. 19, 60 of what will eventually total 433 trees were planted around the Great Lakes Science Center.  The group of volunteers included Cavs legend Campy Russell as well as other representatives of the Cavs, partner organizations and students and teachers from Cleveland Metropolitan School District MC² STEM High School.

“It was a beautiful fall day,” says Emily Bacha, Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s director of communications and marketing. “We had over 100 corporate volunteers and 100 students there. Not only were there beautiful, robust trees planted, it will create a beautiful canopy in downtown.”

Davey Tree donated the trees, which consist of eight different varieties – ranging from Japanese tree lilacs and kousa dogwoods to maples, white oaks and elms.

Now in its second year, the Trees for Threes program helps restore Cleveland’s dwindling tree canopy.

“The City of Cleveland’s tree canopy stands at just 19 percent – only one quarter of the tree canopy we could see across our neighborhoods,” explains Bacha. “From intercepting rainwater to removing air pollution to providing essential wildlife habitat, trees are a critical part of our infrastructure.”

Bacha adds that trees also improve public health and reduce stress. “Cleveland can once again thrive as the Forest City, but it will take a true community effort to reforest our neighborhoods,” she says. The addition of the 433 trees will have a economic benefit of $1.56 million benefit over the next 40 years.

WRLC urban forestry and natural resources manager Colby Sattler and Holden Arboretum’s community forester Char Clink worked with the MC2 STEM students earlier this year regarding the importance of trees for a healthy ecosystem – educating them about storm water absorption, tree canopies and the oxygen they produce.

“It’s really exciting to bring this to the high school level and train future botanists and arborists,” says Bacha, who adds that Campy Russell took the time to interact with the students, even coaching some of them. “It was really great to see him interacting.”

On Saturday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m., an additional 273 saplings will be distributed to guests who attend the screening of the film Tiny Giants at the Great Lakes Science Center’s new state-of-the-art digital theater. 

Next spring, 100 more trees will be distributed through WRLC’s Reforest Our City grant program. Fourteen organizations – many of them community development corporations – benefit from the program.