Alison Smith Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewood Patch
Hundreds of large trees will soon line a walkway in Somerset County, honoring the fallen heroes of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into an empty field on September 11, 2001.
Candles at the Flight 93 National Memorial on September 11, 2014. Photo courtesy of the Flight 93 National Memorial
“This planting at Flight 93 provides an opportunity to engage the public in the hopeful act of planting a tree at the site of a national tragedy,” Gov. Tom Corbett said.
The trees, which will be ready for planting in spring 2016, “will be planted along the 40 Memorial Groves walkway that will sweep along the inner edge of the 40 Memorial Groves from the Visitor Center Complex down to the Memorial Plaza at the crash site,” the Governor’s Office said.
The purchase, delivery and planting of the 450 “Red Sunset” maple trees will cost about $160,000, the Governor’s Office said. That money has been pledged by Pennsylvania’s TreeVitalize program, through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
“Our TreeVitalize program seeks to revitalize communities with trees,” Corbett said, “and is honored to play a role in bringing life and beauty to a site of such sadness.”
Flight 93 was one of four commercial airliners hijacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001, and, “because of the quick and determined actions of the passengers and crew, Flight 93 was the only one of the four hijacked aircraft on that day that failed to reach the terrorists’ intended target,” the Governor’s Office said.
The once-empty field in Somerset County where the plane crashed has been turned into a national memorial. Some 300,000 people visit the crash site every year, the National Park Service said.
