Town of Warwick begins tree inventory with $21,000 state grant

By Linda Smith Hancharick
WARWICK — The Town of Warwick has begun a tree inventory in its six parks and 12 cul-de-sacs, thanks to a grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The town received $21,000 from the DEC as part of an Urban and Community Forestry Grant last year to perform the inventory.
The town hired Davey Resource Group to conduct the inventory, which started this week.
“This inventory will provide a baseline of the number, location, health and type of trees on public property and in the town’s rights-of-way,” said Karen Emmerich, a member of the Town of Warwick Tree Commission, in a press release. “This inventory will then be the basis for a community forest plan that will guide the town, its tree commission and its volunteers in the management of the community forest over a seven-year period.”
This tree inventory will focus on the attributes of trees in the town, including the species, condition, size and number of trees in Warwick town parks and other public areas. The inventory will help manage the trees and prioritize their maintenance.
The six parks include the Warwick Town Park on Union Corners Road, Pine Island, Wickham Woodlands, Airport Park, Cascade Park and Thomas P. Morahan Waterfront Park in Greenwood Lake.
“Trees are an important component of our town parks – they offer shade for people walking/hiking or even watching a sporting event. They create habitat for local wildlife, which is especially important in Cascade Park, which is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail,” according to the release. “These wooded areas are an important component of the wildlife corridors that the Town encourages as part of its comprehensive plan. Developing an inventory, assessing tree health, and developing a management plan will provide the town with the information it needs to improve the quality and diversity of its forest resources.”
Trees along the town’s cul-de-sacs serve as an environmental resource by filtering storm water, purifying the air and sequestering carbon, reducing the heat index, and serving as a windbreak, Emmerich said.
A tree management plan that includes the town’s street trees will allow the town to budget for their care, as well as for future plantings.
The inventory is expected to last one month, and a final tally of the trees will be presented to the town board when the inventory is complete.