Free Native Trees to be Distributed by Friends of the Scarsdale Parks on Sunday

The Friends of the Scarsdale Parks will host its Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 19 from 2-5 pm at the Scarsdale Woman's Club located at 37 Drake Road. The event will mark the inauguration of the Friends of the Scarsdale Park's Heritage Tree Project featuring the commemoration of the majestic White Oak on the front lawn of the Woman's Club. Light refreshments will be served and there will be free activities for kids.

The featured speaker will be Professor Nina L. Bassuk, Cornell University's renowned urban tree expert. Professor Bassuk will discuss, among other topics, the management of Scarsdale's urban ecosystem and tree and plant resources. Professor Bassuk will also address best practices to insure the health of Scarsdale's urban forest in the context of climate change and extreme weather events such as hurricane Sandy. Representatives of the Cornell Cooperative extension will also be available to answer gardening questions.

The Friends of the Scarsdale Parks will offer, on a first come first serve basis, free bare root native trees suitable for planting. The Scarsdale High School Sustainable Garden Club will be selling vegetable and flower seedlings. The Friend's Heritage Tree Project welcomes the assistance and collaborative spirit of Danielle Wolleman, a sophomore at Scarsdale High School.

Professor Nina L. Bassuk is program leader of the Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University; serves on the executive board of the New York State Urban Forestry Council; and is on the Technical advisory committee of the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES). Dr. Bassuk co- authored "Trees in the Urban Landscape" and works with municipalities to help implement best practices in urban forestry management. Professor Bassuk helped to develop the Student Weekend Arborist Team (SWAT) to inventory public trees in small communities.

The Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization established by citizens of Scarsdale, New York in 1957. We are a hands-on volunteer workforce and advocate for the conservation, restoration and preservation of the 26 named passive and recreation parks and numerous other public open spaces located throughout the Village of Scarsdale in cooperation with Village Staff. Voluntary donations to the Friends help to support ongoing projects and future programming. Visit www.friendsofscarsdaleparks.org for more information about the work of the Friends.