The Professional Landscape and Nursery Trades of WNY (PLANT), the Buffalo Green Fund, ReTree and the City of Buffalo have begun a tree replacement project along Delaware Avenue.
The “Leaf a Legacy” project will remove and replace 64 dead ash trees along Delaware Avenue between North Street and Gates Circle that have been infested with the Emerald Ash Borer.
The project will be completed in three phases: Removal of all dead and dying trees; Removal of all tree stumps; and Replacement with mature, diverse species considered to be adaptable to urban environments including honey locust, hornbeam, gingko biloba, Kentucky coffee and others.
Delaware Avenue was chosen as the location for the Leaf a Legacy initiative because it is on the National Register of Historic Places, a major thoroughfare to downtown Buffalo that serves as a gateway to the corporate headquarters of Delaware North, New Era Cap, the Robert H. Jackson Court House and is home to major events such as the Allentown
Art Festival, Taste of Buffalo and Turkey Trot.
The cost of Leaf a Legacy is estimated to be in excess of $75,000. PLANT WNY members have donated the labor and are providing all materials at cost. The Buffalo Green Fund and ReTree are fundraising and will match all donations of $600, dollar for dollar, to complete the project.
The Emerald Ash Borer is always fatal to ash trees, posing a significant public safety hazard. It is estimated that approximately 4000 trees are to be removed from city streets with thousands more being cut down in parks, on private property and throughout Western New York.
“The arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer in our community is particularly unfortunate, coming as it does after decades of work to recover from Dutch elm disease and the October surprise snowstorm of 2006. With the city’s resurgence and new found energy in our neighborhoods, we simply cannot undo decades of progress by not acting swiftly against the Emerald Ash Borer.” Cindy Kincaide, Buffalo Green Fund Board President.
“My Administration, through the City of Buffalo’s Department of Public Works, Parks & Streets, has been actively removing and replacing dead and dying Ash trees in our City parks and along our City streets. This past summer, we also gave away 500 free yard trees to Buffalo home owners who lost their own Ash trees,” Mayor Brown said. “I greatly appreciate the efforts of the Buffalo Green Fund to aid replacement of the lost Ash trees. The City is also proud to lend our assistance to the Green Fund, through our Deputy Parks Commissioner Andy Rabb. Andy, who serves on the Fund’s board, has helped the organization with technical assistance on tree placement along Delaware Avenue.” Mayor Byron Brown
