Tri-Municipal Green Week to Spur Tree Planting: Apr 21-28

by Judy Silberstein

A serviceberry is among the trees to be planted during Green Week.

(March 22, 2007) Tree-lovers are being encouraged to purchase, plant and donate to tree planting efforts in the Village of Larchmont and the Town and Village of Mamaroneck during a newly designated Green Week, April 21 to April 28.

“Green Week is an outgrowth of the tree-planting initiatives surrounding Arbor Day,” said Beth Radow. “We wanted to involve merchants, schools, and all members in the community. By making it a whole week, there was so much more than could be done.”

Who is involved? The initiator of the Green Week idea is Ms. Radow, who is chair of the Village of Mamaroneck Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Water Quality and is co-chair of the Natural Resources Committee of the local League of Women Voters. In that latter capacity she is organizing a community education forum on April 18 entitled Climate Change, Storms and the Role of Trees: How Are We Planting for the Future. (See Community Forum for details.)

Already involved in Green Week are each of the municipalities, which have developed mechanisms for accepting donations to plant trees.

The summer storms of '06 blew down scores of local trees. Municipal budgets contain line items for trees, but they are limited, particularly given the effects of the storms. “Community support can make the difference here,” said Ms. Radow. “Donations earmarked for trees will hasten the restoration of our urban forest.”

Also being asked to join the effort are local merchants. As part of Green Week, participating store owners will be donating a portion of their receipts to sponsor the planting of a tree in the community.

So what if tree-planting isn’t your thing? Ms. Radow’s suggestions include: taking nature walks and picking up stray litter found along the way; purchasing environmentally-friendly nitrogen-free fertilizer for your lawn (www.grassrootsinfo.org); and learning with your kids about environmentally wise changes your family can make in its daily routine (www.epa.gov/climate/kids). Or visit the Sheldrake Environmental Center or one of the many parks in the community, she recommends.

To make a tree-planting donation, contact one of the following people. :

• In the Village of Larchmont, Jan Feinman, chair of the Parks & Trees Committee (villageclerk@villageoflarchmont.org)
  
  
• In the Village of Mamaroneck, it’s Assistant Village Manager Robert Yamuder (ryamuder@vomny.org).
  
  
• In the Town of Mamaroneck, contact Elizabeth Paul, environmental planner (conservationdept@townofmamaroneck.org)

In anticipation of Green Week, Ms. Paul has already come up with a 16-tree “wish list” consisting of 4 serviceberries; 4 white oak; 4 white pine; and 4 black cherry, which will be purchased from donations to the Town's "Trees for our Town Fund" and planted in the Hommocks Conservation Area where invasive species were removed. Each tree on the Town's wish list costs $200. The Larchmont-Mamaroneck League of Women Voters has purchased the first of these trees, a serviceberry, which will be planted on Arbor Day.

As an extra incentive, all trees planted through the three community funds will be counted toward the Billion-Trillion Tree Campaign, which is a combination of the United Nations Environment Program, "Plant For the Planet Billion Tree Campaign" and the Local Alliance of Green Schools and Communities initiative "Trillion Tree Campaign."

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