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CSX 'Trees for Tracks' and Alliance for Community Trees to Plant 50 Large Trees at Morrell Park Elementary/Middle School

Morrell Park Elementary/Middle School at 2601 Tolley Street will be the recipient of 50 large, freshly planted trees, thanks to the CSX (NYSE: CSX) "Trees for Tracks" program that promises to plant one tree for every mile of track in the 21,000-mile rail system. The tree planting, held from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday, April 10, will bring together more than 60 volunteers from CSX, Morrell Park Elementary/Middle School, City Year, Alliance for Community Trees (ACT), TreeBaltimore and Parks and People Foundation.

The trees, up to two-inch caliper, include Eastern Redbud (cercis canadensis), River Birch (betula nigra), Willow Oak (quercus phellos), Sycamore (platanus occidentalis), Tulip Poplar (liriodendron tulipfera), Serviceberry (amelanchier canadensis), Sweetgum (liquidambar styraciflua), Pin Oak (quercus palustris), Hornbeam (carpinus caroliniana) and Winterking Hawthorne (crataegus species), all native to the region.

Once planted, Parks and People's "Green Up, Clean Up" crew will maintain and provide ongoing care to the trees. The crew's work is supported in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create green jobs in Baltimore.

The planting marks the second time in less than a year that the CSX "Trees for Tracks" program has come to Baltimore. Last October, the railway and its partners planted large Sycamores, Red Buds and Oaks throughout the Westport redevelopment area.

"We have a very strong commitment and connection to Baltimore," says Tori Kaplan, director of corporate citizenship for CSX. "Our local partners are very creative and always identify places where the effort will provide the most benefit to the community."

"We look forward to a great effort," says Sean Conley, principal, Morrell Park Elementary/Middle School. "It will teach some of our students a valuable lesson about urban ecology, and it will serve as a living classroom for many years to come."

"Trees make the campus healthier and they also contribute to kids' success at school," adds Alice Ewen, executive director of the national DC-area based ACT. "Research shows kids perform better in lots of ways when provided with more green in their parks, school yards and playgrounds."

CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the nation's leading transportation companies, providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. The company's transportation network spans approximately 21,000 miles, with service to 23 eastern states and the District of Columbia, and connects to more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at the company's web site, www.csx.com.

City Year is a national youth service organization based in Boston, Mass. The organization unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service in schools and neighborhoods across the country, where they foster citizenship, mentor children and build up communities. For more information, visit www.cityyear.org.

Alliance for Community Trees (ACT) is dedicated to improving the health and livability of cities by planting and caring for trees. With 160 grassroots affiliates in 41 states and Canada, ACT engages volunteers to take action to improve the environment where 80% of people live -- in urban areas. ACT member organizations have planted and cared for 14.9 million trees in cities with help from 4.3 million volunteers. www.actrees.org