Five-thousand native trees planted in Town of Deerpark
- sharonsiegel1954
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
TOWN OF DEERPARK, NY – Five-thousand new neighbors moved into the Town of Deerpark this week. Already rooted, the 5,000 are native tree species that were planted on Monday along 10 acres at Lower Bashakill Preserve floodplain in Cuddebackville, New York.
A small gathering of officials and representatives of organizations responsible for the reforestation project spoke at the Route 211 site on Wednesday morning. Special praise was given for the 25-year partnership between The Nature Conservancy in New York and the Orange County Land Trust.
According to OCLT, the two organizations worked together to help OCLT acquire the 136-acre protected property back in 2001, and again on this tree-planting project. OCLT Director Jim Delaune noted a shared commitment by everyone involved, not only in the reforestation project but in protection of the watershed of the Neversink and Delaware Rivers.
“We thank The Nature Conservancy for making this large-scale planting possible,” Delaune said.
Jeremy Schneider, also of OCLT, explained that a group of approximately 20 individuals contracted by the Nature Conservancy planted the 5,000 trees on Monday. Specialized protective tree tubes were placed around tree species known to be attractive to deer, and to protect the young trees from wildlife damage.
“This collaborative effort is one of 15 reforestation projects statewide, but this site is the only one outside of the North Country region. The ultimate goal here is to develop forest canopy, help protect the water quality in the Bashakill, and provide important habitat for wildlife,” Schneider said. “Now, it might take some years before the trees produce nuts and acorns, but pretty soon you will start to see the benefits.”
The species of trees planted include Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Gray Birch, Sweetgum, Black Tupelo, Red Pine, Eastern White Pine, Northern Red Oak, American Sycamore, Swamp White Oak, and Black Willow.
On hand this week to support the project and its impact on the region were Forester Michael Callan, of partnering NYS DEC, OCLT President Lewis Lain, Trish Haelen of OCLT Outreach & Events, Elizabeth Miller representing New York State Senator James Skoufis, Orange County Legislator Thomas Faggione, and Port Jervis Councilman Stanley Siegel.
Faggione spoke of the beauty of the region, its natural forest lands, woods, rivers, streams and its people and farmers. He expressed gratitude for what the project offers to future generations.
“Well, on behalf of the NYS DEC Forestry Department, I always like to say ‘the best time to plant a tree was ten-years-ago, but the second-best time was today,” Callan said. “So, kudos. Job well done.”
For Public Note: The area where the trees were planted is within the floodplain of the Lower Bashakill Preserve in Cuddebackville. The trees surround an area currently being farmed in cooperative land use. There is a small access area for walking and viewing the tree line, reachable from Route 211 -- across from the Old Red Barn Auction building.
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