Ossining Plants 80 Trees At Nelson Parks

OSSINING, NY — Transforming Nelson Park and Nelson Sitting Park, Ossining officials are planting about 80 trees using grant money from a state urban forestry program.

Trees not only provide more shade, keeping temperatures down, they clean the air, help manage stormwater and mitigate noise levels.

In December of 2020, the Village of Ossining won a grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Nelson Park and Nelson Sitting Park are in a densely developed neighborhood and are the two largest green spaces in the village, Ossining officials said. They are easily accessible to the entire downtown neighborhood and are highly used for both organized and informal recreation. Nelson Park covers roughly 10 acres, while Nelson Sitting Park is about 3 acres.

Over time, as trees died from age, disease, or storm damage, the parks gradually became deforested, which has resulted in little shade to provide relief from urban heat, village officials said in a statement.

"The planting of trees in Nelson Park and Nelson Sitting Park will significantly enhance these parks' aesthetics and biodiversity and improve the quality of life for village residents, many of whom depend on parks to access outdoor recreation space," they said.

As part of the grant, the Village included a variety of partners, including Green Ossining and the Village's Environmental Advisory Committee, Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener/Green Ossining Member Donna Sharrett, a consulting arborist team from SavATree, and George Profous, a DEC Senior Forester for Region 3.

The team worked closely with village staff. They established the actual costs of trees and accessories, visited the nursery to select species native to Ossining, and created planting plans. During the planting stage, they provided training to staff on tree planting and maintenance while supervising the initial planting to ensure proper methodology and plan to administer post-planting site visits to evaluate compliance.

"The Village has a long-standing history of collaborating with a network of well-established local non-profit and community organizations. This collaboration is integral to the Village's operating style and advances the government's efficacy," officials said.

The long-term benefits of this project will increase each year as the trees mature and additional trees are added. These trees will provide shade, improve aesthetics, encourage social interactions, and generally improve the quality of life for adjacent neighborhood residents, they said.