DeWitt Tree Committee Plans To Rewrite Ordinances And Announces Growth Award

DEWITT, N.Y. – The DeWitt Tree Committee discussed following the direction of Steve Harris, the Syracuse arborist to revise its Urban Forestry Management Plan and tree ordinances on Tuesday night.

As members of the board gathered for their monthly meeting, plans were made to amend the ordinances the committee adopted in 2012 in lieu of the Region Seven meeting taking place later in March.

David Mitchell, a retired research cell biologist, said he believes Harris has the right idea due to his prolonged career as the Syracuse arborist, a position Harris has held for more than nine years. 

“If he thinks that the forestry plan should be updated before [we] attack the ordinance, maybe we should be thinking of that too,” said Mitchell.

He hopes that Harris would be able to point the committee in the right direction. 

Christopher J. Luley, owner of Urban Forestry Diagnostics drafted the current forestry plan. His company focuses on urban forestry and arboricultural research. 

Mitchell said the problems associated with the ordinances are as a result of poor designation. 

Members of the DeWitt Tree Committee convene for their second meeting of the year where ordinances are still a number one priority.

“We don’t have anyone in the town that is responsible for that. There should be standards that have to be adhered to. A national standard for arborists,” he said.

The chair of the committee, Ann Stevens, said the issue should be solved quickly. “It’s the most important thing for us to do this year. We cannot be friendly about it,” she said. Members agree that Mitchell will coordinate with Harris and bring a crafted plan for their March meeting.

 According to Marcie Mann, a member of the committee, the ordinances will restrict builders of commercial properties from cutting down trees and re-evaluating the planting of trees around the town. 

Mann said this new ordinance will make sure the issues seen with properties like Marshalls Plaza will not happen in the future. 

Marshalls Plaza, on Erie Boulevard, to the normal eye, seems like just a retail building, but to the members of the tree committee, it’s seen as a failure of the ordinance. The trees planted around the property were done incorrectly so as the seasons change, they will die.

Mann said the rewrite of the tree ordinance will affect developments like these because it will require accurate landscape planning and environmental matching.

“We need to have in place a way to plan for having trees and having them planted correctly because it matters so much to people’s mental and economic well-being. That’s really our thrust for this year,” Mann said.

As a retired librarian, Mann said the delayed changes are a result of having to cross-reference all the codes written for the town by the DeWitt Advisory Conservation Commission.

“Trees are mentioned all over the place. It exists in parts of urban planning and forestry management, but it isn’t strong enough,” she said.

The Tree Committee is a sub-committee that exists under the purview of DACC that ensures the sustainability and the protection of the natural resources of DeWitt.

Last year, The Tree Committee planted 30 trees in low-income areas as part of its tree-planting program. As a donation, the Cornell Cooperative Extension volunteer service CommuniTree has announced its contribution of six trees to the town.

These trees will range in species and be planted near Le Moyne College and the Springfield gardens, around the residential areas.

The committee has been awarded the ‘Tree City USA Growth Award’ and ‘The Growth Award’ by the Arbor Day Foundation. 

This was good news for the committee because several grants are dependent on the annual recipient of the Tree City USA awards.

Paula Uche, a former teacher of environmental sustainability, said this committee showcases American values.

“We are a very good example of volunteerism in our country, community action and sustained commitment to keeping your community forested,” she said. 

Uche attributes her work with trees to an out-of-body experience she had while working abroad in Nigeria. “I had a very interesting vision. A lot of things happened, and I was shown Africa drying up, which is exactly what’s happening in the Sahara Desert,” she said. 

Uche said the secret to saving the planet is protecting and planting trees, something that she wants others to strive for. 

“We need a new vanguard, we’ve got to pass this torch on to the next generation,” she said.