BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – “When we plant these trees it wont only enhance the aesthetics of a neighborhood, it enhances the quality of life, it helps with the beauty of the neighborhood, it helps to make Buffalo an increasingly welcoming place to live, work and raise a family,” that’s what (D) NYS Senator Tim Kennedy said as people gathered to beautify another Buffalo neighborhood.
It was an historic storm that sparked community effort dedicated to planted trees, keeping in the tradition of Frederick Law Olmsted. His vision was to have a network of many tree lined streets connecting the various parks within the Queen City.
Saturday the recovery took another leap forward. “It was a really great citizen response to all those trees that were lost because of the October storm. It speaks to Buffalo’s commitment to being green and being a city and region of trees,” said Darren Cotton, Founder of the University Heights Tool Library.
With a little rain and even a few snowflakes coming down, it may not have been the best weather for people, but it was perfect for planting trees. People braved the damp weather to start transplanting what will be 1000 saplings in the University District over the next two years. University students made a huge contribution. According to Andrew Scott, Dean of Undergraduate Education at SUNY Buffalo, “An event like today, we bring out 250 of our undergraduates and demonstrate that we are deeply committed to service.”
But some leaders see this as more than just sprucing up the community. “It takes putting our hands into the roots of the problem to bring up life, and ReTree is the very thing that we need right now, to empower our community and make it a great place,” said Rasheed Wyatt, District Councilmember.
Now that some of the trees are in the ground, an ongoing monitoring system will see that they thrive. “We’re actually working with Grow Western New York. They have a text-based alert system so we want to keep people engaged after they plant the tree. Alerts will be sent out during dry spells,” added Cotton.
Not only will the streets of the University District be fuller with greenery next summer, but there may even be little community pride to go along with it.
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