Plans are in the works to begin taking inventory of trees -- first this fall in the downtown area, then in the neighborhoods next year.

Cicilline joined a weekend effort by parks officials and volunteers to plant trees along Abbott Street and Peach Avenue, in the Mount Hope neighborhood.

He said records were shattered thanks to a partnership between the city and the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program. The planting program is a partnership of the Mary Elizabeth Sharpe Street Endowment, the Helen Walker Raleigh Tree Care Trust, and residents.

The trees were purchased, in part, with funds dispersed by City Council members and by Community Development Block grant money.

"Trees add to the beauty and vitality of our city, while helping to protect the environment," the mayor said in a statement. "Partnerships like these enhance the city's ability to improve our streetscapes and go a long way toward strengthening the neighborhoods of our city."

A 2004 study by Providence Plan and the University of Rhode Island found that only 16 percent of the city was covered by trees, short of the 27-percent national average reported by the U.S. Forestry Service.

The city would need to add about 40,000 trees to reach the recommended 25-percent tree-cover status.

Forestry officials and advocates say the benefits of having tree-plentiful urban communities are numerous.

Trees reduce flooding by intercepting rain, clean the air by removing dust and absorbing pollutants, prevent soil erosion, act as sound buffers, increase property values, add beauty and produce a source of community pride, they say..

Douglas Still, the new city forester, has begun the project to take inventory of the city's estimated 30,000 trees.

Volunteer stewards from the Rhode Island Tree Council have been trained; high school students from Groundworks Providence's E-team will undergo training this Thursday, Still said.

"An inventory will give us essential knowledge for managing our city trees, such as location, species, size and condition," Still said.

He said the inventory will also enable foresters to calculate the financial benefits of trees.

The pilot project is being conducted with a small grant from the state Department of Environmental Management and with support from the Downtown Improvement District.

Still said the volunteer team of 11 will use Palm Pilots to keep record of the size, location and species of trees located downtown.

He said downtown trees typically have shorter lifespans because they face more congestion and pollution than those in other neighborhoods of a city.

Frank LaTorre, of the Downtown Improvement District, praised the inventory project and the involvement of high school students.

LaTorre said the project will consider what trees should be on certain streets and which mix of species would result in flowering trees from spring to fall.

The types of trees planted throughout the city this year include crabapple, Kwanzan cherry, purpleleaf plum, callery pear, Homestead elm, London planetree, littleleaf linden, honeylocust, red maple and river birch.

For more information about the tree-planting program or to obtain an application to have a tree planted, go to http://www.pnpp.org/ Requests for the spring planting season are due by Dec. 1.