Plant a tree, hug a tree

On Friday, April 26, Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton, local officials, members of the Warwick Valley Gardeners, Pre-K children from Golden Hill Elementary School and neighbors assembled by Green Meadow Road just off Wheeler Road in the Village of Florida.
Although it was raining that morning, they were there to celebrate Arbor Day.
A large number of sick or dead ash trees had been removed along the boulevard divider and were being replaced with an assortment of new trees, including an Oksame Cheery Tree, featured that day.
The Arbor Day ceremony was held by the Warwick Valley Gardeners in collaboration with the Warwick Tree Commission.
It was also another year that the Town of Warwick had been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.
According to the National Garden Bureau, designation as a Tree City, USA is an asset to any town or village.
Communities are judged on having a tree commission, an inventory of trees, a tree planting, replacement policy and a preservation program.
"I would like to thank Karen Emmerich, our Tree Commission Chair, and her board members along with our Commissioner of Parks Bill Roe and members of our Department of Public Works for everything they did to obtain this designation," Sweeton said.
He also thanked the other officials including Councilmen Floyd DeAngelo and Russ Kowal, Justice Nancy DeAngelo, Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard and Shade Tree Commissioner Rob Scheuermann for their participation.
Patricia Reinhardt, chair of the Arbor Day Committee, a former school teacher and member of the Warwick Valley Gardeners, spoke about the origins of the celebration and read her poem that urged the children to hug a tree.
She also told the children that they would soon receive their own tree seeds scheduled to be delivered to the school.
The Pre-K class was then invited to line up and help plant the new Oksame Cheery Tree.
- Roger Gavan