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Foundation To Help City Purchase More Trees

With an increase in the number of trees being cut down in the city due to the emerald ash borer invasion, the city will need assistance in replace its urban forest.

That is why the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation is providing more funding assistance in 2019 than in past years. On Monday, the Jamestown City Council will vote to approve accepting a grant of $7,000 from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation for the city’s tree planting program.

In January when providing an update on how the ash tree cutting program is going in the city to the Jamestown Parks, Recreation and Conservation Commission, Dan Stone, city arborist, said city parks employees had around 215 ash trees in the city’s urban forest to remove because of the invasive species. He said, at the time, around 132 ash trees had been removed from terraces along city streets.

Stone said city officials will receive more assistance this year from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation to help replace some of the trees that were removed. He said normally the foundation funds the city $5,000 a year for its tree planting program. He said in 2019 the foundation will increase the total to $7,000. He added that city officials will be able to purchase 30 to 40 more trees this year thanks to the additional funding from the foundation. Stone said he has also investigated submitting an application for grant funding from the National Arbor Day Foundation to also assist with replacing trees in the city’s urban forest.

The emerald ash borer is an insect originating from China that uses the ash tree as food when it is in the larval stage. The larva burrow through the tree, cutting off food and water from reaching all areas of the tree causing it to eventually die. Stone said the emerald ash borer was first discovered in New York in Randolph about 10 years ago. He said, as far as he is aware, the emerald ash borer doesn’t attack other types of trees.

Most of the ash trees in the city were planted in the mid-1990s, Stone said. He said about 10 years ago, when the problem with the invasive species was discovered, city officials stopped planting ash trees. He added that the parks department has been preparing and planning for the cut down.

More than 13,000 city-owned trees line Jamestown streets. The total does not include the trees in city parks. People can make a tax-deductible donation toward the city’s urban forestry fund through the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation by sending a check to the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, 418 Spring St., Jamestown, NY 14701. For more information, visit crcfonline.org or jamestownny.net.

In other business, the council will vote to approve a contract with Davis Concrete & Excavating for $86,027 for the Broadhead Avenue street reconstruction project.

The council will also vote on a resolution to approve funding Greenman-Pederson Inc. $60,248, of which $2,745 will be for direct non-salary costs, to be consultants for the Steele Street culvert rehabilitation project.

The council will also vote to approve electrical work of new lighting fixtures to be done by Trinity Electric Inc. at the Jamestown Fire Department state at the city Municipal building for $16,200.

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