Hastings Resident Volunteers to Speak for the Trees

Hastings' Brett Schneiderman is passionate about trees.

A certified arborist currently working on his Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture at Cornell University, Schneiderman has volunteered to oversee an arduous tree inventory of all the street trees on Hastings' village property.

Along with other tree board members: Bill Crosby, Jenny Lee and volunteer Coordinator Ann Van Buren, Schneiderman has rounded up and trained more than 50 residents to make careful observations about Hastings' trees and write up detailed reports for him to review.

"So far the reports have been excellent," he said. "I'm thrilled."

Hastings Village Manager Fran Frobel and Deputy Village Manager Susan Maggiotto first proposed the idea of a tree inventory this year, but Schneiderman was unsure that the village administration had a clear purpose for the data.

"A tree inventory is only useful if the municipality plans to use it to take action," he explained. 

But after learning that the board and managers hoped to take direct action, the board suggested applying for grants from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and he and the volunteer tree board decided to go for it.

"But grants are competitive and we are competing with other municipalities across the state," he said. 

Hiring professionals to do the job is quick but costly, he said. That's why the board decided to recruit volunteers.

"We have about 50 who have been really diligent about the process," Schneiderman said. "Some came with a lot of prior knowledge and some with none."

For the tree newbies, Schneiderman held two training sessions. He said that although it was mainly a "do-it-yourself" project that many of the less experienced volunteers had paired up with those less knowledgeable.

What has also been invaluable, Schneiderman said, is his collaboration with Cornell's Urban Horticulture Institute and its leaders Nina Bassuk and Fred Cowett, eho just got his PhD in tree inventories in NY State.

Schneiderman said that to date, he's received about one-fourth of the reports. "Even if we get about three-quarters of the trees inventoried, that would be a great start," he said. 

Schneiderman is a life-long Hastings resident who has volunteered with the tree board for four years.  He's also part of the volunteer fire department. 

Overall, the purpose of the inventory is to help Hastings create a long-term plan for tree management, Schneiderman said. 

"We want to keep our trees healthy and protect them from insect infestations. That also keeps our neighborhoods safer and cleaner."

Learn more about the project in greater detail on the Hastings Village Website here. 

The board  welcomes additional volunteers for upcoming processing of information.

Inquiries can be sent to Hohtree@gmail.com