LIVERPOOL — More than 20 volunteers planted 24 new trees on village property on Saturday morning, Nov. 5, in an effort to improve the natural canopy across the mile-wide village.
The volunteers included members of the village’s Tree Committee, Liverpool residents and members of Liverpool Girl Scouts Troop 10730 and a Boy Scout troop from Mexico, New York. The village’s Department of Public Works dug the holes into which the new trees were placed, including at Johnson Park, Washington Park and Memorial Park.
Liverpool DPW will oversee care and watering of the trees, which will need at least two gallons of water each week for the first year. The saplings were provided by Schichters Nusery of Springville.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County Community Forestry and Natural Resources educator and arborist Leanna Nugent oversaw the plantings.
“The trees were transplanted bare root — that is, the roots are not balled up and covered in burlap when they are transported from the nursery. The holes were dug shallow and wide. A few inches of mulch were applied over the root system after planting,” Nugent said.
The participating scouts are considered CommuniTree Stewards.
Tree Committee member Holly Granat coordinated the event. Granat is a village resident who works for the state Department of Environmental Conservation as an environmental analyst.
Tree Committee chairwoman Yvette Hewitt praised Granat’s leadership.
“Holly’s so well-organized and committed and she kept it all moving forward smoothly,” Hewitt said. “And she always does so with a smile on her face and a positive attitude.”
Among the new trees were a cherry tree along Balsam Street, an American Hophornbeam at the corner of First and Balsam, and a red oak near the intersection of Sycamore and Second streets.
That particular planting replaced a large maple which had suddenly fallen across the street on Aug. 2, 2017, pulling up its own roots, blocking traffic and pulling down utility cables causing a village-wide power outage.
Liverpool Trustee Christina Fadden, the village’s liaison to the Tree Committee, said that event “was a wake-up call to the village and it led to the establishment of the Tree Committee.”
Nugent pointed out that the month of November is the best time of the year to plant new trees. Cooler temperatures and autumn rain allow a newly planted tree to establish a healthy root system before the onset of stressful summer heat, she said.
“Trees are so important in our cities,” Nugent said. “They’ve been linked to social cohesion, reduced crime and provide numerous ecological and health benefits.”
For information about the village Tree Committee, visit villageofliverpool.org/tree-committee.html.
