Over 250 Trees To Be Planted Around Town Of Oyster Bay

MASSAPEQUA, NY – Oyster Bay Town officials announced a new program to plant over 250 trees in areas of the Town that has been impacted by both the Asian Long-Horned Beetle and Superstorm Sandy.

“Through our recent partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, the Town has been the proud beneficiary of grant funding for scores of new trees planted throughout our Town in areas hardest hit by the Asian Long-Horned Beetle infestation and in Superstorm Sandy impacted communities,” Supervisor Joseph Saladino said.

Through this initiative, CCE-NC received a grant award from the US Department of Agriculture to replace trees which were previously removed from communities during the beetle infestation of the late 1990s.

The Asian Long-Horned Beetle damages trees by their chewing, ultimately weakening the tree’s integrity and eventually killing it. The Massapequa area was specifically subject to the infestation and, as a result, hundreds of trees were removed.

“The Town’s pride in our environment is evident in our being recognized as a ‘Tree City USA’ for nearly three decades,” Councilman Tom Hand said. “This latest partnership helps enhance our environment and beautify our communities.”

So far, the Town has planted over 180 trees at various local facilities, including 90 at Marjorie Post Community Park, 40 at John J. Burns Town Park, 32 at Field of Dreams, six at Bayfront Park, and 13 in various traffic islands throughout Massapequa.

In addition, another 70 trees will be planted this fall as part of an extension of the grant.

“CCE-NC is pleased to be working in partnership with federal, state and local agencies to successfully implement this important tree replanting grant," Gregory M. Sandor, CCE-NC Executive Director said. "Over the few years we have planted over 1,200 trees throughout the ALB Quarantine Zone and see these plantings as tangible long term environmental investments in our south shore communities."

Photo courtesy of the Town of Oyster Bay