Trees planted near Poverello House as part of Beautify Fresno initiative

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A suit and wingtips didn't stop Fresno's mayor from doing a little manual labor Monday.

Jerry Dyer was joined by a number of volunteers and city workers to help plant 18 trees along G street near the Poverello House.

"Everyone has an opportunity to have a beautiful neighborhood, and that includes those folks who reside here at the Poverello House," he said.

The planting and clean-up event was part of Dyer's "Beautify Fresno" initiative.

Eighteen Chinese Pistache trees were planted with the help of Tree Fresno along with residents of the Poverello House.

These trees were selected because they provide a lot of shade while also being low maintenance and water-wise.

"This is all part of making sure that we have a beautiful city in Fresno," Dyer said. "Far too often, people complain about the lack of trees and the lack of beautification within our neighborhoods."

Dyer's vision to beautify Fresno begins with cleaning up some of the city's most forgotten areas -- including downtown.

By staging the planting event here, it shows where greenery is so desperately needed and what the future could look like.

These trees will not only bring curb appeal to the area but provide a sense of ownership for residents of the Poverello House

"This is just going to be the start," says Mark Standriff. "We'll have another phase that will go along Santa Clara a little bit later on. As the mayor said, slowly take back this area to show that these folks that live here, that are getting services are worth the investment."