As April winds down, post-Tax Day, Patriots’ Day, Passover, Earth Day and Easter, it’s suddenly time for Arbor Day. As the founder of Arbor Day, J. Sterling Morton, wrote, “Other holidays repose upon the past; 
Arbor Day proposes for the future.”
Middletown has been a Tree City USA for over twenty years. Tree Cities are designated by the Arbor Day Foundation, based upon important criteria. Tree cities must have a tree ordinance and a tree commission, and they must spend a specified dollar amount per resident annually on tree care.
What does that mean to us? In Middletown, it means a small chunk of your taxes is budgeted to pay our Urban Forester, Dana Whitney. It means that hazardous trees are pruned or removed from our roadsides. It means that there is an inventory of our street trees, and a disaster plan, conforming to State requirements, to assist emergency personnel in case of a tornado or hurricane.
Most important, it means that the Urban Forestry Commission seeks grants to plant new trees whenever possible. This year, eight memorial trees will be planted at the Wadsworth/Kerste deBoer Arboretum on Long Lane, as well as a dogwood tree at CVH, in recognition of their commitment to the environment.
An “America the Beautiful” grant paid for the planting last fall of new sugar maples along parts of Ridge Road, which had recently lost a number of mature trees. These trees were planted as “set-back” trees – on homeowners’ property rather than as street trees. The reason for this is that street trees have such a high risk of failure: the average street tree survives for seven years.
Road salt, vehicles, utility pruning, poor soil and inadequate root space all contribute to early death for trees planted on the “hell strip” between curb and sidewalk. Utility lines are a special problem, since it’s nearly impossible to prune a tree away from wires without damaging the tree. Setting the tree back several feet onto a lawn allows trees to grow unimpeded to their full height.
This cool, late spring has caused many tree species to flower all at
once. This is a good week to take a walk to admire saucer magnolias, flowering cherries, even the unjustly rare cornelian cherry dogwood, or Cornus mas (you can see all of these near the front of the Wadsworth Mansion or at the Arboretum right now.) And if you don’t see the trees you want, maybe you should plant a tree – there’s no better way to celebrate Arbor Day!
P.S. Information about Middletown's Arbor Day events will be posted later this week.
Arbor Day proposes for the future.”Middletown has been a Tree City USA for over twenty years. Tree Cities are designated by the Arbor Day Foundation, based upon important criteria. Tree cities must have a tree ordinance and a tree commission, and they must spend a specified dollar amount per resident annually on tree care.
What does that mean to us? In Middletown, it means a small chunk of your taxes is budgeted to pay our Urban Forester, Dana Whitney. It means that hazardous trees are pruned or removed from our roadsides. It means that there is an inventory of our street trees, and a disaster plan, conforming to State requirements, to assist emergency personnel in case of a tornado or hurricane.
Most important, it means that the Urban Forestry Commission seeks grants to plant new trees whenever possible. This year, eight memorial trees will be planted at the Wadsworth/Kerste deBoer Arboretum on Long Lane, as well as a dogwood tree at CVH, in recognition of their commitment to the environment.
An “America the Beautiful” grant paid for the planting last fall of new sugar maples along parts of Ridge Road, which had recently lost a number of mature trees. These trees were planted as “set-back” trees – on homeowners’ property rather than as street trees. The reason for this is that street trees have such a high risk of failure: the average street tree survives for seven years.
Road salt, vehicles, utility pruning, poor soil and inadequate root space all contribute to early death for trees planted on the “hell strip” between curb and sidewalk. Utility lines are a special problem, since it’s nearly impossible to prune a tree away from wires without damaging the tree. Setting the tree back several feet onto a lawn allows trees to grow unimpeded to their full height.
This cool, late spring has caused many tree species to flower all at
once. This is a good week to take a walk to admire saucer magnolias, flowering cherries, even the unjustly rare cornelian cherry dogwood, or Cornus mas (you can see all of these near the front of the Wadsworth Mansion or at the Arboretum right now.) And if you don’t see the trees you want, maybe you should plant a tree – there’s no better way to celebrate Arbor Day!P.S. Information about Middletown's Arbor Day events will be posted later this week.
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