In 2023, Cayuga Heights achieved Tree City certification by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 11th consecutive year. Tree City certification recognizes a municipality’s commitment to maintain and increase its trees and woodlands and the many benefits that trees provide. One of the criteria for certification is an annual Arbor Day celebration. Last year the Village celebrated Arbor Day with a tree planting event at Cayuga Heights Elementary School. This year’s celebration took place on Earth Day Monday, April 22nd at 2:30 pm at Kendal at Ithaca. Fred Cowett, Village forester and Mayor Woodard as well as Hazel Gunn, from the Kendal residents committee, met to plant two small hackberry trees (Celtis occidentalis). They were planted at the rear of Kendal as part of the Abrams Walk reforestation initiative. The tree planting will also promote Kendal’s certification in the Arbor Day Foundation’s new Tree Campus Healthcare program. There was a good group representing Kendal and the Village in attendance.
The Kendal residents committee is looking to achieve certification as a Tree Healthcare Campus, a new Arbor Day Foundation certification program. The certification requirements for Tree Healthcare Campus are slightly different than those for Tree City USA. One requirement is community involvement and another is to commemorate Arbor Day, this led to a collaboration with the Village for this event. This event was one of several that Kendal planed to commemorate Earth Day.
