To the Editor:
From the beginning of the last century up until the present, Greenwich has been so very fortunate in receiving donations of private lands from environmentally-conscious residents—owners of large estates with heavily-forested tracts which have been turned into public parks and refuges, thereby protecting these properties from developers’ backhoes and enriching the quality of life here. Think: Byram, Bruce, and Binney Parks, the Pinetum, the Babcock Preserve and others. Also, owners of smaller properties with protection of the environment as a high priority have donated portions of their property for conservation easements.
In April 1936, a local newspaper printed a story reporting extensive tree planting being carried out by the town with help from the Greenwich Tree Association and tree donations. Also we are reminded of the tree plantings along Lake Avenue donated by the Rockefeller family.
In recent times, our organization, The Greenwich Tree Conservancy, established in 2007, with the mission of planting, protecting and maintaining the trees of Greenwich, working closely with the town tree warden, has carried on this grand tradition of caring for the environment and its trees. At times, it’s easy to forget the life-preserving benefits of trees to both humans and wildlife.
It was our goal in 2015 to plant 375 trees on public and nonprofit land in honor of the 375th Anniversary of the founding of Greenwich, so we are most proud to announce that we have exceeded our goal with the planting of 449 trees in every Greenwich area and neighborhood. We thank all who donated to the Tree Conservancy to make this happen and thank the town for working with us toward this important goal.
JoAnn Messina
Greenwich
Editor’s Note: The writer is executive director of the Greenwich Tree Conservancy.
