VILLAGE OF PERRY RECEIVES STATE TREE GRANT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Eleanor Jacobs, Trustee
PERRY, NY, November 12, 2018—The Village of Perry has been awarded a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Urban Forestry Grant.
The $22,690 grant will allow the village to complete two important tasks: conduct an inventory of village trees and develop a tree management plan. The Village of Perry was one of 54 entities selected for the Urban Forestry grant from 115 applications.
The inventory of the estimated 925 street trees and planting sites, as well as an estimated 300 park trees, will be conducted by a certified arborist. The person will use a geographic information system (GIS)-centric management method for the tree inventory. The arborist will count the number of trees and identify their geographic position. Plus, the maintenance needs, species diversity and general health of the village’s tree population will be assessed. This identifies trees in need of immediate maintenance and in some cases removal.
The second component of the grant is to develop a village forest management plan. Working with an engineering, planning and architecture firm, the village will create a long-range plan to manage existing trees and to prioritize plantings. Included in the plan will be opportunities for public education and involvement.
"This grant is perfectly timed,” said Dr. Daniel Zerbe, chairman of the Village of Perry Tree Board. “Our future management of the village forest will be rooted in the expertise of arborists and planners."
This grant results from the dedicated work of the Village of Perry Tree Board, established in November 2015. Through the board’s efforts the village has been named a Tree City USA and received an Arbor Day grant to purchase nine trees that were planted in the village park. It held its first Arbor Day event in spring 2017 and planted several trees. The board has also done a drive-by tree inventory, organized plantings on streets, some nearly void of trees, and worked with homeowners and the village’s Department of Pubic Works to remove compromised trees and replant trees where appropriate. To engage Perry Central School students, the tree board held a poster contest for fifth graders last school year and will hold a PoeTREE contest for elementary students this school year.
In addition to board chairman Zerbe, tree board members are Ralph Field, Levi Hauser, Felisa McKay, Robin Redding, James Reynold, Lori Schofield, Lauren Shearing, DPW superintendent Eric Kelly and village trustee Eleanor Jacobs.
For more information on the Village of Perry tree board or to get involved, visit the village website at villageofperry.com. Go to Departments and click on Tree Board.
About Perry, NY
Perry, New York is located in the Finger Lakes Economic Development Region in eastern Wyoming County. Perry is the western gateway to the historic Genesee Valley, and Downtown Perry lies between Letchworth State Park and Silver Lake. The town has established itself as a growing business community for agriculture, manufacturing, arts & culture, and retail. For more information, visit www.villageofperry.com.
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