The seventh seasonal reforesting of the Western New York Area by Re-Tree WNY commences Saturday, May 1st in over a dozen area municipalities, including events in the Cold Springs, Broadway/Fillmore and West Side neighborhoods.

1,700 street trees are expected to be planted by the all-volunteer army trained and assembled by Re-Tree.  Fifty city block clubs will participate.

Planting in all areas will begin at 9 am on Saturday and will continue until complete. 

Re-Tree WNY has selected the Lombard Street Block Club to be the site of their "signature event planting."  Ninety trees will be planted along Stanislaus, Sobieski, Kosciuszko, Lathrop, and Woltz streets in the Broadway/Fillmore neighborhood.

Since the group will be gathering at the St. Adalbert Basilica parking lot, a special ceremony will take place where the pastor of the church will bless the trees and the volunteer workers. Rev. Thaddeus "Ted" Bocianowski will perform the blessing at 9 am at 212 Stanislaus Street.

Anyone who still wishes to volunteer is asked to come to the St. Adalbert parking lot with your shovels/rakes/sledge hammers ready to plant.  In addition, a clean-up of the streets will be coordinated by Re-Tree WNY, a service of Keep WNY Beautiful.

Buffalo ReUse is also conducting a planting event on Saturday from 9 am until 3 pm.  Volunteers are meeting at the group's office, 298 Northampton Street.  More info here. 

Green Options Buffalo is planting 100 trees on the West Side.  Volunteers are asked to meet at the corner of Prospect and Connecticut on Saturday at 9 am.

Re-Tree WNY was established on November 3, 2006 by a group of about 40 Western New York residents who saw first-hand the devastation done to the region's trees-- and decided to take action to re-forest every public area that was destroyed by the freak October 12-13 snowstorm.  The organization's goal is to replace the approximately 30,000 trees in Western New York that were damaged or destroyed by the storm.

Photos by Buffalo ReUse.