Carolynn Sears (Conservation and Tree Board) , Michael Kagan (Pound Ridge Land Conservancy), Susan Lee (Pound Ridge Garden Club), Bonnie Schwartz (Town Board), Gail Jankus (Planning), and Richard Lyman (Town Supervisor) admire one of the twin American Beeches planted near the Pound Ridge Town House on Arbor Day. Photo by Jody Sullivan
The 2016 Arbor Day celebration in Pound Ridge (pop: app 5100), a town in Westchester County, took place over several days. An Arbor Day grant from the NYSUFC in partnership with the NYSDEC funded the purchase of a 3.5″-caliper, 12-foot-tall American beech and an ID plaque to go with it.
Pound Ridge Conservation and Tree Board Chair Carrie Sears says, “One aspect of our celebration that I am particularly proud of is the collaboration between the Town, the local Garden Club, the Land Conservancy, and Bartlett Tree Experts. And the Pound Ridge Highway and Maintenance Department continued to water the trees throughout a very long, dry summer.”
In this post, Sears recounts the Town’s celebration:
Thank you for funding the Pound Ridge 2016 Arbor Day celebration, which promoted an urban forestry program in the community in many ways. Our celebration included four different events and the planting of five native dogwoods, two American beech trees, and over 100 seedlings from the NYSDEC Saratoga Tree Nursery in different locations in the community. It also included a hands-on workshop, “Your Land and Our Water: Computer Modeling of Local Watersheds,” which allowed participants to see how trees make a difference in watershed protection.
From left: Brad Gurr, certified arborist with Bartlett Tree Experts; Cristine Morris, volunteer; and Krista Munger, Pound Ridge Land Conservancy Land Steward and Educator. Munger led a group that planted tree seedlings provided by Bartlett Tree Experts in Carolin’s Grove, a Pound Ridge park that suffered tree damage from Hurricane Sandy. Photo by Carolyn Sears
Many different organizations cooperated with the Conservation Board to make the celebration happen: Pound Ridge Library, Pound Ridge Garden Club, Pound Ridge Land Conservancy, Mianus River Gorge Botanical Preserve, and Westchester Land Trust. And this event grew throughout the planning process: the Bartlett Tree Experts (Danbury, CT) offered free trees and help with planting, and the Pound Ridge Garden Club planted a sister American Beech tree. The Bedford and Pound Ridge Record-Review provided coverage of the event.
Pound Ridge third grader Jordan Duffield planting a tree seedling in Carolin’s Grove as part of the Town’s 2016 Arbor Day celebration, spanning three days. Photo by Carolyn Sears
Outreach efforts included press releases, community events announcements, and a book display at the local library. Arbor Day bookmarks for every student plus posters were provided to the Pound Ridge Elementary School and the local library. An Arbor Day flag was flown for a few days. Cheerful green and yellow bows were tied on the new trees.
This event drew attention to the concept of urban forestry in our semi-rural community. It gained the support and cooperation of Town officials, the Conservation/Tree Board, two key local organizations, and a business. It prepared the community for future discussions about developing a community forest management plan. In that spirit, in 2016, Pound Ridge became a Tree City USA for the first time.