PORT JERVIS – A tree inventory will be conducted in the City of Port Jervis beginning on August 19.
Crews from the Davey Resource Group will walk throughout the city wearing bright colored vests and carrying tablets and measuring devices to perform the two-week process.
The firm will develop a Community Forest Management Plan. Results of the inventory and plan will be presented to the common council at its September 23 session.
The two processes are supported by a $50,000 grant from the State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Urban and Community Forestry program funded by the state’s Environmental Protection Fund.
The next step will be for the city to apply for planting grants that could pay for trees, special structural planting soil that encourages tree roots to travel downward and educational seminars about tree maintenance.”
“Trees are one of the city’s most valuable and yet most underestimated assets,” said Mayor Kelly Decker. “This project will provide the city with a baseline for future projects. Urban canopies are disappearing, leaving buildings and residences exposed to the sun and weather and increased cooling costs in the summer. With the right selection, placement and minimal regular maintenance, trees can provide shade and natural habitat for 80 to 100 years.”
