Renewing our effort to “re-tree”
A few months ago I wrote about the devastating effects that the early Buffalo snowstorm last October had on the western New York area, and especially the region’s tree population. The number of dead or damaged trees was astounding, and now that number is projected to be even higher. According to the Buffalo News:
Early damage assessments revealed 300 trees needed to be replaced in Olmsted parks and parkways, with another 2,300 at risk for the next five years. In the City of Buffalo, 7,400 trees along rights of way would have to be taken away. And outside the city, where numbers are sketchier, initial estimates were that about 22,000 trees would have to be removed in Erie and Niagara counties. Some say the estimate could be higher.
These estimates do not take into account the number of trees that were destroyed on personal property or in wild areas. We asked you before to help out one of the groups with plans to “re-tree†the area. Now we’re begging.
Here is a list of groups dedicated to planting restoring the tree population:
- Re-tree WNY – They hope to plant 30,000 trees over the next five years and secure $10 million in donations and public funds for the project.
- Buffalo Green Fund – The Reforest Buffalo Committee has been planting trees for years and is upping its efforts within the city.
- The Olmsted Conservancy ReLeaf – They are focusing on the Olmstead Park with a goal to plant 500 new trees.
There are other collegiate and private organizations involved replanting in the area as well as educating the public on how they can help. This is a very important aspect of the effort as so much of the damage has occurred on private property and will need to be addressed by the homeowners. You can learn about educational seminars here and here.
Whether you live in the Buffalo area or not, please help out one of these organizations. And do your part by planting a sapling yourself. After all, the whole world could stand to have a few more trees. I leave you (no pun intended) with a poem from Louise Bogan:
I’ll lie here and learn
How, over their ground,
Trees make a long shadow,
And a light sound.
We hope today’s photographer remembers to plant a tree
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