Bruce Robinson, forestry consultant; Richard Rose, Village of Lakewood Tree Committee chairman; and Greg Jones, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation Karl Peterson Grants Committee member, plant a tree in Lakewood Veterans Park. In total, 11 trees were planted in Veterans Park and one tree planted in Hartley Park.
After the Village of Lakewood approved the appointment of five community members to its tree committee in May, those members quickly began creating a list of priority areas within the Village. After identifying those areas, the committee put together a work schedule that included a fall tree planting, featuring Veterans Park and Hartley Park.
On October 30, 11 trees were planted in Veterans Park, located on East Summit and East Terrace Avenues, and one tree was planted in Hartley Park. Financial support in the form of a grant from the Karl Peterson Fund, administered by the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and funding from the Village of Lakewood and Women’s Club of Lakewood, helped make the tree planting possible.
According to Richard Rose, Lakewood Tree Committee chairman, the committee is dedicated to maintaining the trees that line the village, while improving some of the empty spaces where trees could be planted.
In addition to Rose, Tammy Bakewell, Jack Hemink, Valerie Dow and Scott Smith serve on the Tree Committee.
“The trees we are planting today, although young, will grow and still be beautiful in 100 years, They will also provide shade and beauty to those using our parks,” Rose said.
Rose and the committee worked closely with Bruce Robinson, local forestry consultant, to select the types of trees best suited for each location. In the end, Robinson and his company, Bruce E. Robinson, Inc., planted three Paperbark Maple trees, two Bald Cypress trees, five Swamp White Oak Trees and one Silver Maple tree in Veterans Park and a Ginko Tree in Hartley Park.
