KATY, TEXAS (September 07, 2010)

With the goal of helping Memorial Hermann become “sensibly green,” the hospital system’s Facility Services team, under the direction of Marshall Heins, chief Facility Services officer, recently planted 9,000 pine tree seedlings on a 14-acre tract of land adjacent to Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital.

“The planting is part of a comprehensive plan to make the best use of natural resources to benefit the environment, patients, employees and Memorial Hermann as a whole,” said Heins. “I am very proud of this project and its anticipated results.”

According to research conducted by Heins and his team, it is expected that the trees will reach a height of five feet in four years and 30 feet in 15 years. Not only will the trees help to beautify Memorial Hermann Katy and the surrounding area, they also will provide a habitat for local wildlife and help filter the air and reduce the greenhouse effect. Heins’ team reports that the new population of pine trees will remove 50 times the amount of carbon dioxide from the air than if the land remained bare.