Photo by Derek Redd Oglebay Park Resort employees plant a Kwanzan cherry tree in Edgwood Park in Wheeling in celebration of Arbor Day.

The newest tree in Wheeling was planted in the Edgwood neighborhood Friday morning.

Oglebay Park Resort employees placed a Kwanzan cherry tree into the ground at Edgwood Park during a short ceremony Friday. Karen Cox, a WVU Extension Service agent and member of Wheeling’s tree board, said the tree is Japanese in origin and withstands many of the issues that trees deal with in the Ohio Valley. It will grow about 20 to 25 feet tall, she said.

The city also was able to celebrate another event — being named a Tree City USA city for the third year in a row. Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder said the path to earning that designation was not a simple one, which showed how dedicated the city and its tree board are to that mission.

“It increases property values around town for our neighbors,” Magruder said of the trees. “It helps with our business communities. It gives us some spirituality, and just what it does for the environment.

“With Wheeling, we always tout the quality-of-life attributes that we have,” he added. “This is just another one.”

Cox said that, as an extension agent and a Wheeling resident, it is great to see the city take such pride in its trees and have such devotion in taking care of them.

“I love it,” she said. “They make places more walkable. They help clean the pollutants out of our air. Cleaner air means healthier people, and means an overall better city.”