By Hank Russell
Two Long Island villages — Patchogue and Valley Stream — each received a $75,000 Urban & Community Forestry Grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to plant new trees throughout their municipalities.
The money comes from a $2.4 million grant program administered by the DEC. It is specifically used for tree planting and maintenance projects that provide critical support for urban forest managers to sustain and expand green infrastructure. The forestry grants complement DEC’s ongoing initiatives to address invasive species, climate change, environmental degradation, environmental justice, and urban sprawl. Over the last 12 years, New York State funded more than $16 million in grants to support urban forestry projects, with a total value of more than $23 million with local matching investments.
These grants build on Governor Kathy Hochul’s goal set in her 2024 State of the State Address to plant 25 million trees by 2033. “This Arbor Day, we’re sowing the seeds of a greener, more sustainable future for all New Yorkers while inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards across the state,” Hochul said. “New York’s 25 million tree goal is a critical component of our comprehensive efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and green our urban landscapes, one tree at a time.”
Patchogue Village Clerk Lori Devlin, who wrote the grant application on behalf of the village, said the money will come in handy. “We’re very excited the DEC saw fit to award to the village this grant for our tree planting project,” she said.
As part of the tree planting project, the village will replace trees along the Main Street corridor that were planted there 30 years ago. “They’re either diseased or they’re too large for their location,” Devlin said, adding it will take two years to do so.
Devlin said the money will also be used to install tree pits on the sidewalk. However, the new tree pits will be square instead of oval, which caused problems with pedestrian traffic. “Some people would walk by [the trees] and would trip over them,” Devlin said. “We will make them larger and more square so people don’t trip over them.”
Long Island Life & Politics also reached out to the Village of Valley Stream, but has not called back as of press time.
“As proud stewards of New York’s natural resources — during Earth Week and all year long —the DEC is thrilled Governor Hochul continues to recognize the countless benefits of urban and community forests in nurturing healthier environments for residents and wildlife alike,” NYS DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said. “I look forward to joining my colleagues in the statewide, multi-agency effort to increase public awareness of the benefits of trees in our communities and helping strengthen the environmental roots of a new generation of New York leaders.”