Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Gov. Tom Corbett and First Lady Susan Corbett today presented donated trees to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County.
In a news release, the governor said, “The 40 heroes of Flight 93 rose up against their captors and spared the nation further harm on September 11,” Corbett said.
“We are planting these trees not only in their memory, but in honor of the futures they assured for countless citizens by planting the first seeds of resistance to assure our nation’s freedom.”
About 13,000 bare-root seedlings were donated by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. They were grown at DCNR’s Penn Nursery in Centre County. About 225 of those trees were a result of partnership with and donation by WITF, the public radio station in Harrisburg.
This is the second year of the reforestation effort. The goal is to have 150,900 new trees at the location. The Flight 93 memorial includes 40 groves of trees, one grove for each passenger or crew member who died on Sept. 11, 2001 when the plane crashed as the passengers and crew battled terrorists. The memorial is operated by the National Parks Service.