North Hempstead uses state grant to partner with 2 villages in assessing town's trees

North Hempstead will use a recently acquired $540,000 state grant to create and carry out a plan to survey and assess the town's trees, officials said.

The town is partnering with the villages of Thomaston and Port Washington North on the initiative, which they said will help maintain biodiversity and improve resilience in the environment. The project was one of seven to receive grants last week that state officials said, “will reduce government cost through consolidation.”

“The fact that every single street tree in the Town of North Hempstead can now be assessed and inventoried becomes a powerful tool in our sustainability work,” North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in a statement.

In 2021, the town board voted to establish a tree advisory board and a preservation fund, to be funded by payments in lieu of planting for residents who cannot replace trees on their property.

Thomas Devaney, the chair of the tree committee and the town’s grant coordinator, said the funding will allow them to create a management plan that identifies the age, condition and type of trees that are in the town.

“We would have an idea which trees we should probably look to replace in the near future before the unfortunate happens — they die and we’re forced to replace them on more of an emergency basis,” he said.

Devaney said internal details must be worked out before the town can seek bids for the work. He added that by partnering with the two villages, it gives them an opportunity to get a “better price” for the work.

Port Washington North Mayor Robert Weitzner said this program will be a “tremendous asset” for the village and help it keep track of more than 5 miles of roadways with trees.

“We have increased the species of trees, adding to the biodiversity of our street trees, and as such we need tools to be able to monitor and assess our inventory,” he said.

Thomaston Mayor Steven Weinberg said this project will help the village address concerns residents have regarding trees.

“We want to take down the tree if it’s not healthy. But we don’t want to take down a healthy tree … that could be very expensive for the village,” he said.

North Hempstead has been recognized as a Tree City USA Community by the Arbor Day Foundation. The designation demonstrates a community’s commitment to the environment, according to the foundation.