Red Hook again named a Tree City

Red Hook Town Councilwoman Brenda Cagle presented the Village Board of Trustees an award at the April 7 village meeting, to honor the role of the Village Green committee in helping the town be named a Tree City USA for the 10th year in a row.

Cagle serves as the liaison to the Agriculture and Open Space committee and the Greenway and Trails committee, both of which work closely with the Village Green committee to plant, protect and maintain Red Hook’s trees.

The Village Green committee was incorporated in 2001. “Since then,” said Cagle, “we have planted more than 300 trees over 20 planting days and we have celebrated 11 arbor days.” Cagle told the board that the trees provide substantial savings by creating shade to lower heating costs and through rainwater intercession.

Village Trustee David Seymour thanked Cagle for all of her work over the past decade. “It is people like Brenda who took the baton and really ran with it on this,” he said. “Without you, I don’t know where it would have gone. You were the lightning rod and we thank you.”

Seymour and Cagle also thanked the many volunteers who have assisted with tree plantings, as well as all the members of the Village Green committee and the Highway Department.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Environmental Conservation and the National Forestry Service. In order to qualify, a city must meet several criteria, including having a dedicated tree board or department and legislating tree care ordinances. There are currently 3,400 communities in the nation with a Tree City designation.

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