There's no better way to honor those Americans who have perished during extreme circumstances or in catastrophic events than to plant trees as "living memorials."

In our local municipalities, groups such as the Nesquehoning Lions Club and various shade tree commissions throughout the area have used tree projects to remember the men and women who have sacrificed for our country.The terrorist attacks against our nation over 13 years ago brought a flood of requests to honor and memorialize the Americans who died on 9/11. The USDA Forest Service was asked by Congress to create the Living Memorials Project, an initiative that uses the power of trees to bring people together and create lasting, living memorials to the victims of terrorism, their families, communities and the nation.This week, Gov. Tom Corbett also announced a state program through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to honor the sacrifice of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 in Somerset County. The TreeVitalize program will support the purchase and planting of 450 large trees at the national memorial site, providing visitors with a meaningful place to reflect on what happened that day.TreeVitalize is providing approximately $160,000 for the purchase, delivery and planting of the trees. When the trees are ready in spring of 2016, 450 "Red Sunset" red maples will be planted along the 40 Memorial Groves walkway along the inner edge of the 40 Memorial Groves from the Visitor Center Complex down to the Memorial Plaza at the crash site.DCNR Secretary Ellen Ferretti said for the past two years the Bureau of Forestry's nursery has supplied thousands of seedlings to the site to help reforest the strip mined land surrounding the crash site.We also learned this week about an ambitious project of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, a national heritage tourism nonprofit that aims to highlight the rich American history along the 180-mile route through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia. The goal is to plant 620,000 trees, representing the human toll in America's Civil War from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Virginia to the Gettysburg battlefield as a symbol to memorialize the men who died.About 2,000 trees have been placed in the ground so far, thanks to the nonprofit Living Legacy Project, and 8,000 plantings are scheduled this year.Corbett said it best when he explained that the planting provides an opportunity to engage the public at the site of a national tragedy, bringing life and beauty to an area forever remembered for its great sadness.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com