LOUDONVILLE — In honor of Conservation Day, Colonie’s Conservation Advisory Council will distribute free tree seedlings to Town residents at the William K. Sanford Town Library on Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to noon, or until seedlings are gone.
“Through the years, the Town’s Conservation Day celebrations have resulted in thousands of new trees being planted all over Colonie, both beautifying our Town and preserving our environment,” said Town Supervisor Paula A. Mahan.
Conservation Advisory Council Chair Ellen Rosano said that this year, the Council will distribute 2,250 seedlings, an increase due to the overwhelming popularity of the program.
Seedlings to be distributed include red pine, Douglas fir, Norway spruce, Toringo crabapple, red stem dogwood, arrowwood, bayberry, buttonbush, sand cherry, pussy willow, wetland rose, and Tamarack.
According to the Center for Urban Forest Research, 100 mature urban trees can remove up to 32 tons of carbon dioxide and 420 pounds of pollutants from the atmosphere each year. They’ll also catch 370,000 gallons of rainwater.
Planting a seedling is relatively easy. All that is required is a suitable place to plant it, water, and a shovel. Each seedling comes with planting instructions.
Members of Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Pinebush Conservancy, the Fort Orange Garden Club and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will be on hand to provide advice. Cornell Cooperative will also perform soil testing. For directions on how to collect soil samples, visit albany.cce.cornell.edu/agriculture/soils-climate/how-to-take-a-soil-sample.
Seedlings come from the Saratoga Tree Nursery, part of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, which promotes use of environmentally friendly indigenous species.
The Conservation Advisory Council also advises the Town on protection of its natural resources. Meetings are held the first and third Thursday of the month and are open to the public.
Seedlings go fast. Residents should come early for the best selection.
— Town of Colonie
