Ossining, NY—May, 2018—In an effort to increase the sustainability and beauty of its public spaces, and improve its air quality, the Town of Ossining, New York recently undertook an assessment of its trees in four key locations.
In early 2017, Ossining contacted SavATree—a leading provider of tree, shrub, and lawn care—seeking technical assistance in applying for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Urban Forestry Grant. In October 2017, Ossining was awarded the grant and later selected SavATree to perform the work in early 2018.
According to Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg, the project presented an opportunity to “be good stewards of town trees and the environment. It raised awareness throughout town and allowed us to take stock of what trees we have now and how to properly care for them.”
“We know how important trees are to our community—we’ve been a Tree City USA for 19 years,” added Levenberg. “With more storms, it helps to know which trees will be most successful and which ones to plant that make the most sense.”
The locations chosen for inventory and assessment included Louis Engel Park, N. State Road from Chappaqua Road to Stone Creek Lane, and NYS Routes 134 and 133 from New Castle to the Village of Ossining. The Arborists performing the assessment collected data on tree species, size, risk ratings, condition, defects, location, and management recommendations.
After examining the findings, the town discovered that it has a large number of invasive Norway maples, which account for 22% of the inventoried trees. The report also provided an environmental equity analysis that focused on more densely populated areas with less green space. “We want all of our residents to have access to clean air, beautiful trees and lovely parks,” said Levenberg. As a result, rather than choosing a local school for a recent Arbor Day tree planting, as was customary, the decision was made to plant a red oak at Engel Park instead.
Supervisor Levenberg commented that the results of the study were “even better than we expected. We shared the report with our Environmental Advisory Committee and also our Planning Board, as well as our Town Parks and Highway departments, so it can be used when considering care and new development. Working with SavATree was terrific. They were responsive and everything went smoothly. SavATree arborist Matt Weibel made a great presentation, which was held at a public forum and was available on video, YouTube, and local cable access channels.”
About SavATree
SavATree, the green choice for tree, shrub and lawn care, provides environmentally sensible services to residential, commercial, community and government properties in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Western regions. Property stewardship programs feature organic and hybrid plant health care, general tree care and lawn care – all highly customized to meet the needs of each landscape and its steward. Services include tree and shrub pruning, insect and disease management, deer deterrence, and lawn care, as well as tree and shrub nutrient/fertilization programs. Learn more at https://www.savatree.com/
