Wassaic tree replaced with native bur oak

WASSAIC — Local tree enthusiasts assembled in Wassaic village center to plant a young tree at the entrance to the rail trail in observance of Arbor Day.

The event on Friday, April 25 was co-sponsored by the Amenia Conservation Advisory Council and the Amenia Town Enhancement Committee.

Volunteers were attracted to help with the project led by Maryanne Pitts, CAC member. Some set to work to accomplish the task, others advised, and still others photographed the progress.

Bringing a wheelbarrow to the session was Wassaic resident Edwin Erreyes who saw the group of volunteers and wanted to help.
The new tree, a bur oak donated by the Amenia Garden Club, replaced a non-native dogwood that had failed to thrive at the location.

Garden Club president Ken Monteiro noted that the bur oak, native to eastern North America, produces acorns, each sporting a tiny burr.

“Oaks are a key help to native species, including their tendency to host insect larvae that feed birds,” Pitts said before the work began. “Birds need to feed their young the caterpillars because very young birds do not eat seeds,” she added. “They need protein.”
Pitts said that the interval between the egg and the fledgling is only two weeks in duration.

“So, it is critical that they have native trees and shrubs available to them,” Pitts said, adding that she is a supporter of the Homegrown National Park program.

“The gardens of today are the natural world,” Pitts commented. “Everything else is choked with invasives.”

As Pitts is working toward earning a designation of being a “Tree City,” she said that 2025 is the first step in what will be an annual event.

“We’ll do it every year,” she said.