From the Mayor: Please Partner With Us in Preserving Native Trees
By Mary Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville
Aug. 7, 2024:
Chinese Proverb
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Nothing is more beneficial to a community than its tree stock.
-The benefits of trees are so multifaceted: aesthetic appeal, cooling properties, improvement of air quality, reduction of energy use and atmospheric carbon dioxide, habitat for wildlife, reduction in soil erosion and excess runoff, water absorption, barrier to noise, a natural screener, food source and a source of lumber and pulp. They mask concrete walls, driveways, parking lots and unattractive views while absorbing dust and reducing glare.
-Trees also absorb odors and polluting gases and filter dirty particles out of the air, and the shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns and parks.
-Of great importance is the role they play on school property and playgrounds as trees reduce UV exposure by 50% providing protection to children playing outdoors.
-As an efficient carbon dioxide absorber and oxygen provider, a single acre of trees can produce enough oxygen for 18 people for an entire year and absorb the same amount of CO2 produced by 26,000 automobile miles. Conversely, taking down one canopy tree removes the daily oxygen supply for four people.
-Just three trees strategically placed around a single-family home can cut summer air-conditioning needs by 50%, as the net cooling effect of just one young healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.
-Trees placed in commercial areas can lower temperatures in a parking lot and break up the blacktop “heat islands.”
-Trees on private property also produce great monetary benefit. Studies have demonstrated that 10 to 23% of the value of a residence is based on its tree stock.
-Recent studies have shown that being around trees can have a calming effect, relaxing brain waves, and reducing heart rates while offering our eyes visions of beauty.
-Also intangible, but so important nonetheless, is the value of trees in marking the seasons, calming a stark landscape, acting as neighborhood landmarks and points of identity. They also serve as symbolic links to the past when other connections have long since disappeared. One cannot help but notice the enormous value our forbearers placed on our tree canopy just by the names of so many of our streets – Red Oak, Elm Rock, Chestnut, Sycamore and Pine just to name a few.
“The one who plants trees knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” Rabindranath Tagore
In terms of our Village streetscape, the exquisite abundance of trees truly defines us and is a natural resource we must protect for generations to come. It truly is our defining characteristic as we don’t live near beautiful water bodies, majestic mountains or clean, clear lakes.
Marilynn Wood Hill wrote so eloquently in the introduction to the Historical Conservancy’s publication, Defining the Landscapes of Bronxville,
“It is the close interrelationship of natural and manmade environments that has given identity to the special place of Bronxville and we need to exercise a greater stewardship in preserving the whole so that what we leave for future generations will not only be a place to live, but also a place to love.”
Causing great concern has been the increased frequency of storms, flooding events and home additions that have diminished our tree stock.
The Village must lead by example and make sure our trees are healthy, trimmed and fertilized as well as ordered in a timely fashion for fall planting.
The Village was originally native woodland and houses were built under a canopy of deciduous trees.
Not only have many of these trees been lost, but they have also been replaced with ornamental trees which are not native and do not restore the canopy.
It is a particular concern because of the Village’s one square mile or 640 acres, we only have a total of 70 acres of parkland.
We ask you to partner with us in preserving this most precious natural resource and take time this summer to check the health of your trees, as well as possibly order more native species for planting this fall.
In addition, if you have trees on property borders, it is so helpful to work with your neighbors to trim and fertilize the tree, as opposed to immediate removal.
“Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.” Joyce Kilmer
Community Service Organizations Directory
Bronxville Beautification Council
Organized in 1982 and incorporated in 1993, the Bronxville Beautification Council (BBC) is a not for profit organization administered by a Board of Directors. Its mission is to enhance and maintain the natural and man-made beauty of Bronxville Village, with emphasis on the downtown business district of Bronxville. The BBC uses the dollars raised in its annual spring solicitation letter to residents to fund the mum, tulip and summer flower plantings downtown and at traffic intersections, as well as the summer hanging baskets. Every few years the group spearheads such major endeavors as the renovation of Leonard Morange Square on the west side of the railroad tracks and the beautification of the Lawrence Hospital traffic circle, which included the addition of plants and the building of the fountain that now makes a gracious western portal to our town. The BBC also works with other civic groups to monitor the aesthetics of retail signage, the consistency of sidewalk materials, and litter and graffiti. During Beautify Bronxville Week, the BBC sponsors a poetry reading and works with Scout groups on the annual village clean-up.
Bronxville Beautification Council
PO Box 127
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-779-6123
Bronxville Boy Scouts
The village of Bronxville has a long tradition of scouting. “The troops and packs of Bronxville have maintained the finest scouting organizations and have taught the boys of the Bronxville area to be leaders and outstanding members of the local, national and global communities.”
There are several Boy Scout Troops in Bronxville, including Troops 1, 2, 4, and 5.
Bronxvillle Girls Scouts
The Girls Scouts is “the world’s preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls where, in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in the real world.” In Girl Scouts, “girls discover the fun, friendship and power of girls together. Through the many enriching experiences provided by Girl Scouts, they can grow courageous and strong.”
Bronxville Historical Conservancy
The Bronxville Historical Conservancy was founded in 1998 to further the understanding and appreciation of the history and current life of the village. The Conservancy furthers its mission through the presentation of programs, publications, lectures and special events that foster an awareness of the village's architectural, artistic and cultural heritage, and lends its support for projects designed to strengthen and preserve those legacies. Anyone who is interested in the Bronxville and its history can become a member; varying levels of membership are available.
Bronxville Historical Conservancy
PO Box 989
Bronxville, New York 10708
http://bronxvillehistoricalconservancy.org/
Bronxville School Foundation
The Bronxville School Foundation, founded in 1991, is a non-profit organization independent from the school with the sole purpose of supporting the school. The Foundation raises money each year through donations from school families, community members, and alumni, among others.These contributions fund grants that provide cutting-edge technology, innovative programs and curriculum and other resources that are beyond the scope of public school funding.
177 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-395-0515
https://www.bronxvilleschoolfoundation.org/
Bronxville Women’s Club
The Bronxville Women’s Club offers lectures, exhibits and concerts. It also has a beautiful clubhouse which is available for rental for events.
135 Midland Avenue
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-3252
www.bronxvillewomensclub.org
Bronxville Youth Council
The Bronxville Youth Council provides volunteer and leadership opportunities for high school students in the village of Bronxville.
177 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-395-0500 ext 1789
Counseling Center
Founded in 1971, the mission of the Counseling Center “is to provide a wide range of psychotherapeutic and counseling services to individuals, couples and families by a staff of highly trained, experience and dedicated psychotherapists.
The Counseling Center
180 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-793-3388
www.counselingcenter.org
Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester & Tuckahoe
The mission of the Community Fund is “to support broad social services in Bronxville 10708, Eastchester and Tuckahoe through grants and technical support to local agencies and community projects. All money raised here in our community stays here in our community.”
15 Park Place
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-8808
www.thecommunityfund.org
Friends of the Bronxville Library
The Friends of the Bronxville Library is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to focus attention on the “Library’s services, facilities and needs” as well as sponsor projects and provide materials that are beyond the reach of the Library’s regular budget and perform other services.
Junior League of Bronxville
The Junior League of Bronxville is “an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.”
Rotary Club of Bronxville
The mission of the Rotary Club of Bronxville is to “encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and to encourage and foster (1) the development of friendships within the community as an opportunity for service, (2) high ethical standards in business and professions, (3) the application of the ideal of service of each member to his personal and business and community life and (4) the advancement of international understanding, good will and peace through a world fellowship.”
Senior Citizens of Bronxville
Senior Citizens of Bronxville is a not-for-profit organization that provides services and programs to seniors within the 10708 zip code area. “Programs cover a wide range of activities from educational seminars and cultural enrichment, to community services, bridge classes and exercise.”
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