To highlight the vital importance and contribution of trees to our environment, the Town of Westport Tree Board will participate in a host of local events to coincide with the annual nature celebrations of Earth Day and Arbor Day.  In 2021 Westport was recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a TREE CITY USA community, joining over 3,600 other green municipalities in a program created in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service.

On Saturday April 23 from 10:30am to 12 noon the Tree Board joins the Westport Book Shop (23 Jesup Road) to celebrate Earth Day with a fun event to promote reading for all ages plus focus attention on the value of trees. The event will take place, weather permitting, outdoors on the town’s Jesup Green park, across the street from the Book Shop, at the intersection of Jesup Road and Taylor Place.  (In case of inclement weather, the event will move indoors to the Book Shop.)   The Book Shop will present interactive family-friendly activities involving reading and early learning, while the Tree Board will offer educational materials along with a native tree sapling giveaway, courtesy of the well-regarded Bartlett Tree Company of Stamford.  This event is free and open to all members of the public, and ample free parking is available in the public lots below and above the Westport Library.

Friday April 29 is ARBOR DAY 2022 and the Tree Board and their partners have several events planned. From 3pm to  4pm today at Westport Town Hall (110 Myrtle Avenue,) the Tree Board will host their annual native sapling giveaway, plus offer brochures and advice from professional associations covering a host of tree-related topics, from site selection to proper maintenance.  Members of the Board will be on-hand to engage the public in a casual dialogue with homeowners and other stakeholders.  Native saplings for giveaway will again be donated by the Bartlett Tree Company.

On Saturday April 30 from 3pm to 4pm, the Tree Board hosts an on-site live discussion and free information session with a tree professional at the Earthplace education center and nature preserve (10 Woodside Lane.)  Guest Arborist Douglas Zitnay, owner of Darling Gardens LLC in Orange will be on-hand to discuss the basics of tree planting and maintenance, including tips on selection, mulching, pruning, pest management and more. Native tree saplings, courtesy of Bartlett Arboretum, will be available while they last.  As part of the Arbor Day festivities today, Earthplace also hosts their ‘Toast To The Trees’ family event from 4pm – 6pm, featuring kids’ activities and s’mores, a ‘Sap Sip,’ handmade pizza from Dough Girls, beverages for adults and kids plus a ‘tree walk’ tour.  (Please note:  separate tickets are required for ‘Toast’ events, visit here to purchase:  https://earthplace.org/events/a-toast-to-trees/).  

About Guest Arborist Douglas Zitnay:  Douglas Zitnay brings 22 years of experience to his plant health care and landscaping business, Darling Gardens LLC.  Douglas holds a Connecticut Arborist License and CT Supervisor license in Turf and 0rnamentals, # S-5197.  He earned a B.S. in Urban Forestry from the University of Massachusetts and an Associate’s degree in Turf Management from the Stockbridge (MA) School of Agriculture. Douglas’s approach to tree, plant and lawn care is science-driven, with environmental safety a top priority for the earth, humans, pets and wildlife.

Beginning mid-April, The Tree Board and Westport Public Library will create a “StoryWalk” at the Lillian Wadsworth Arboretum (2 Woodside Lane, Westport.)  The featured book is BE A TREE! by Maria Gianferrari, selected with help from Lynne Perrigo in the Library children’s section. The Storywalk starts from the Arboretum’s parking lot along the main trail to the large Norway maple.  For more information visit the Library’s “Kids” page here:  https://westportlibrary.org/events/kids/

Town Tree Warden Ben Sykas has approved the planting of a Red Maple in Grace K. Salmon Park along Imperial Avenue for later this month (exact date TBD.}  Warden Sykas has staked out a spot on the north side of the park where a large tree was recently removed.  The Tree Board also plans to fly the Tree City USA flag on Jesup Green during April.  For more information on the Tree City program, visit the website here:  https://www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa/

For more information on the Tree Board, please visit their dedicate page on the Town of Westport website at:  https://www.westportct.gov/government/appointed-boards-a-z/tree-board.   For additional comments, please contact Monica Buesser, Tree Board Chair at 201-264-5790 or via email to:  MKBuesser@gmail.com.