Cassadaga and Lily Dale residents planting a ‘Red Sunset’ red maple (Acer rubrum) at Cassadaga ball fields. Cassadaga and Lily Dale are located about an hour southwest of Buffalo.

An Arbor Day grant of $1000 and instruction from Council Board Member Lori Brockelbank helped the Village of Cassadaga (pop. ~610) and Assembly of Lily Dale (pop. ~275) celebrate their first Arbor Day on Saturday May 18, 2019.

The family-friendly event started at the Cassadaga Library with crafts for kids, free saplings, refreshments, and Lori’s presentation. Among other things, she covered the benefits of trees; Right Plant, Right Place; tree planting and aftercare; and dealing with deer, beaver, and salt. She also talked about job opportunities in the urban forestry field, which piqued the interest of Cassadaga Job Corps youth. The group then headed out to plant trees.

Longtime Council stalwart, arborist Lori Brockelbank of Davey Resource Group, provided key instruction to Cassadaga and Lily Dale on the occasion of their first Arbor Day.

The Cassadaga and Lily Dale Tree Committee–consisting of Bob Reuther, Roxanne Astry, Rachyl Krupa, Krista Meyers, Peter George, Connie Dutcher and Don Mansfield–now turn their attention toward seeking Tree City USA status. First step in that endeavor: securing funding for a tree inventory.