Dewitt celebrated 11 years as a Tree City USA in October, 2021, and for the event chose a 3 inch caliper swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) as the first planting on this reclaimed site.
This site used to be a gas station! Longtime Tree City USA the Town of Dewitt (Onondaga County) prepared a challenging site with the Scoop and Dump method as researched by Cornell Urban Hort Institute.
The planting of the tree is the first phase of a multi-year process of reclaiming the site and developing it with durable native plants, like this swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), planted with the help of a Council Tree City USA Reward grant.
Scoop and Dump is a research-tested method for remediating especially compacted/difficult sites.
The native swamp white oak tree is the start of a multi-year project of the Dewitt Tree Committee and Dewitt Advisory Conservation Commission to create a native plant landscape while welcoming people to the town of DeWitt. This landscape will draw attention to the benefits of native plants which provide nectar, pollen, and seeds for butterflies, birds and animals and serves as the cornerstone of the project to that end.
Dewitt’s dynamic Tree Committee will be establishing a stewardship program over the next few months.
Thank you to Dewitt Town Planner Nicholas Quilty-Koval for providing materials for this post.