Guilford's greener than it was five years ago, thanks to Lillian Comstock and Guilford Garden Club's Greening of Guilford tree-planting program.

Funded by donations, Greening of Guilford is entering its fifth and final year, which means now's the time for businesses, organizations, and individuals to support this incredible grassroots effort.

"It's important to maintain our tree canopy in Guilford," explains Lillian, the program's founder and chair. "Trees provide oxygen, help clean the air by absorbing some carbon dioxide, add beauty and color, reduce noise pollution, and provide shade during hot summer months. The planting of trees increases everyone's property values."

According to American Forests statistics, three trees will sequester more than one ton of carbon dioxide over a 55-year lifetime, Lillian points out.

In the program's first four years, 45 trees of many varieties have been purchased and planted around town. Some are easy to spot, such as those on the Town Green. Others have been feathered into areas of State Street, Hubbard Road, Cherry Street, River Street, Union Street, Stonehouse Lane, Whitfield Street, the Woodruff property, and Calvin Leete School.

All of the trees are planted on town land and by the decision of Tree Warden Kevin Magee, who selects appropriate trees and planting sites. Once purchased and planted with program money, Guilford maintains and mulches the trees. Without Greening of Guilford, Lillian doubts the town would have a tree-planting program of this magnitude.

"All trees naturally die at some point or fall to storms or disease and need to be replaced and in the current economic climate, many towns simply do not have the funding to plant new trees," Lillian observes.

Helping her hometown was one factor which spurred Lillian, a 23-year Guilford Garden Club member and a past president, to propose the program five years ago. The idea came from an Internet search.

"I was just reading online about tree-planting and greening programs across the country.Chicago wants to become the greenest city in the country [including using] roof gardens on top of government buildings. New York City is halfway through a 10-year plan of planting one million trees. In some areas of the country, trees are planted on land trust-owned property just for the benefits of trees and for the assurance they will not be cut down."

The Garden Club board got behind Lillian's initiative and even sponsored the first four trees, at $400 per tree.

To date, the club has funded 20 trees, but from the beginning, Lillian says, "I felt the plan could be more successful if we made it a community project by asking businesses and organizations to join us."

The idea was put into the annual letter-businesses and organizations will soon receive the 2011 Greening of Guilford mail appeal-and local groups began to step up and help sponsor trees.

Those involved to date are: Bartlett Tree Experts, Car Care Clinic, Connex Credit Union, Guilford Foundation, Guilford Garden Club, Guilford Preservation Alliance, Guilford Rotary, Guilford Savings Bank, Hawley Lincoln Funeral Home, Land Rover of Guilford, Leisure Markets Travel, New Alliance Bank, Palumbo's Automotive Unlimited, Pasta Avest, Ram Technologies, The Purple Bear, Walmart, Wilber & King Nurseries, and anonymous individual donors.

Residents who support Guilford Garden Club's annual Christmas Boutique help Greening of Guilford, too, says Lillian. Club funding comes from some of the proceeds of the boutique.

"The Garden Club has been donating $1,600 a year to this program," she notes.

Standing beside a healthy, green-leafed Halesia silverbell on the Green, Lillian says the tree grows to about 30 feet and blooms with "little hanging flowers in the spring." A youthful red sunset maple stands nearby, on its way to topping 60 feet in several more decades. Another newish neighbor on the Green is a sturdy sweet gum tree, all here thanks to Greening of Guilford.

The Comstocks raised their three children in Guilford and, standing by these trees, Lillian looks every bit the proud mom of this latest set of growing youngsters. In fact, in four years, she hasn't missed a single Greening of Guilford tree planting.

"I go right out that morning and watch them being planted. It's exciting. A tree is a symbol of hope and strength to me."

Tax-deductible donations to Guilford Garden Club-Tree Fund are gratefully accepted; mail to 423 Whitfield St., Guilford, CT 06437. For more information, call 203-453-5898.