Buffalo Receives National Honor For Reforestation Efforts

Mayor Byron W. Brown today announced that the National Arbor Day Foundation has named the City of Buffalo and Re-Tree Western New York as joint recipients of the Foundation’s 2008 Project Award.  This national honor recognizes outstanding work in tree planting, conservation and environmental stewardship.  The National Arbor Day Foundation identifies communities and organizations that have created successful projects and educational efforts, all of which must reflect the Foundation’s goals of responsible stewardship to benefit mankind.

The Project Award recognizes the work done collaboratively by the City and Re-Tree Western New York in response to the widespread damage to the city’s urban forest caused by the October 2006 Surprise Snow Storm. 

It is estimated that 85% of the City’s estimated 65,000 trees (including 12,000 in the Olmsted Parks System) were damaged in the October Surprise Storm.  In the city, approximately 7,400 trees were lost.

“On behalf of the citizens of Buffalo, I am pleased to accept the National Arbor Day Project and Program Award, along with our community partner, Re-Tree Western New York,” said Mayor Brown.  “Our commitment to implement the City of Buffalo’s Urban Forest Master Plan builds on a rich history of beautifully designed green space in our Olmsted Parks system. We embrace the connection between green space, quality of life, and economic development, which is a key priority for my Administration.  Our investment in restoring the city’s urban forest is critically important, especially after the devastating impact of the 2006 October Surprise Storm, which destroyed or severely damaged trees in every section of Buffalo.”

After the devastation from the storm, many businesses, community members and government leaders joined forces to reforest the City, raising thousands of dollars to fund the planting of hundreds of trees in local parks and neighborhoods.  In addition to this, Mayor Brown appropriated $1 million in the city’s 2007-08 budget for reforestation efforts and recently hired the first city forester in three years. Further, the city supported the development of the Re-Tree Western New York program, which aims to plant 30,000 trees by 2012.

“This award is appropriate recognition for the dozens of dedicated block clubs and community organizations that selflessly pitched in to reforest our beloved city since our first plantings a year ago,” said Paul Maurer, co-chair of Re-Tree WNY.  “They are now several hundred strong and will be out there again starting Arbor Day (April 25th) to plant another 1,000 trees in Buffalo’s by-ways and parks.  Re-Tree WNY proudly shares this honor with them.”
 
For the past 22 years, the City of Buffalo has been designated as a Tree City USA.  This distinction was not changed by the October 2006 “Surprise Snow Storm,” but was instead solidified.  The storm brought about many community efforts for reforestation, which not only helped to increase our tree population, but also to educate our citizens on the value of our urban forests.  Trees that were once taken for granted were sorely missed after the storm, which brought about a new appreciation for Buffalo’s green space. 

On April 7, 2008, Mayor Brown further strengthened his commitment to restoring Buffalo’s urban forest by appointing Jeffrey Brett as City Forester, a position that had been vacant for three years due to former fiscal challenges in the city.

Brett comes to the city after serving the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy since 2004 as the organization’s Tree Care Supervisor. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, licensed commercial pesticide technician and is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture.  Following the October Surprise Storm of 2006, he performed 5,000 hazard tree inspections as an arborist on loan to the city.

"The reforestation effort of ReTree WNY and the City of Buffalo has been exemplary,” said Brett.

This national recognition shows Buffalo’s dedication to forestry, as well as preserving the city’s beauty and natural landscape.  The City of Buffalo and the Re-Tree Western New York initiative will continue their collaborative effort to restore Buffalo as a model of urban forestry.

Wendel Duchscherer Architects and Engineers, who has served as the city’s urban forest manager since 2005, also played an important role in the city’s reforestation effort, developing a GIS-based tree management system for Buffalo, which helped identify and manage storm-related damaged trees in the city. Their management has further broadened and strengthened the city’s forestry management capabilities.

“The storm not only changed the structure of the urban forest, but it changed the attitudes and mindsets of the residents,” said Art Traver of Wendel Duchscherer. “Urban Forestry is a complex discipline, which at its core is the relationship between human beings and trees. With human beings having the capacity to become emotionally attached to trees there were some very emotional moments in the aftermath of the storm as residents witnessed ‘their tree’ being reduced to a pile of wood chips. After the sawdust settled there were many workshops and symposiums held to educate the public on why the trees were being removed. And when the question was asked: ‘How are we going to replace all of these trees?’ Re-Tree WNY provided the answer. The educational forums and leadership exhibited by Re-Tree WNY brought about a renewed sense of stewardship and volunteerism that should grow the city’s forestry program for generations to come.”

Buffalo and the ReTree Western New York program join the Johnson City Housing Authority of Johnson City, Tennessee; the Rain to Recreation program of Lenexa, Kansas; and the USDA Forest Service Living Memorials Project of Newton Square, Pennsylvania as official 2008 Arbor Day Project Award winners.  These and other winners of Arbor Day Awards will be recognized at the 36th annual National Arbor Day Awards Banquet and Ceremonies, which is scheduled to take place at the Arbor Day Farm’s Lied Lodge and Conference Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska on the weekend of April 25, 2007.