Pound Ridge Conservation Board Chair Ellen Grogan practices structural pruning on a young tree with instruction from DEC Region 3 Senior Forester George Profous at a NY ReLeaf workshop and tour in Newburgh. Photo by Gloria Van Duyne
On Friday, September 30, 2022, NY ReLeaf Region 3 hosted a fun and informative walking tour of Newburgh’s Liberty Street, in the heart of the largest historic district in New York State outside of New York City. “Tree Pits, Pruning, and Pitfalls” was guided by DEC Region 3 Senior Forester George Profous, Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy Founding Board Chair Kathy Lawrence, and Newburgh Assistant City Engineer Chad Wade. Participants got hands-on tips for young-tree pruning and heard about the City’s green infrastructure efforts, including a pilot project utilizing CU-Structural Soil under new sidewalks, and installation of rain gardens. —Jean Zimmerman, NY ReLeaf Region 3 Co-Chair (with George Profous)
What is more exhilarating than learning to prune young trees by pruning them in the cityscape on a beautiful fall day? Photo by Gloria Van Duyne
Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy Board Chair Kathy Lawrence with a wayward branch pruned from an ornamental cherry tree. Photo by Jean Zimmerman
DEC Forester Tim Yeatts, based in Region 3, attending the workshop. Photo by Jean Zimmerman
Orange County Land Use/Environmental Planner Kate Schmidt with branches pruned from a crabapple tree. Photo by Jean Zimmerman
Newburgh Conservation Advisory Council Co-chair Robert Sanchez and Pound Ridge Conservation Board Chair Ellen Grogan get ready to prune. Photo by Jean Zimmerman
Young street trees in Newburgh benefit from large planting beds/bioswales and—in one pilot project—root access to below-pavement CU-Structural Soil. Photo by Gloria Van Duyne
Newburgh Assistant City Engineer Chad Wade talks to ReLeaf workshop attendees about bioretention beds and other features of Newburgh’s Green Streets initiative. Photo by George Profous