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CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. The Croton Arboretum reopened Friday after closing for nearly seven months to repair damage to trees from the October snowstorm. More than 100 trees were battered at the preserve, which is also known as the Jane E. Lytle Memorial Arboretum.
"We're so pleased to finally reopen," Arboretum President Karen Jescavage-Bernard said in a release issued by the village Friday morning. "It took a long time because all the arborists in the area have been swamped since the storm. Also, you can't get heavy equipment into the trail area, so all the work had to be done by climbing damaged trees a slow and potentially dangerous process."
Croton Arboretum and Sanctuary Inc., the non-profit organization that manages the property, hired a forestry consultant to inspect more than 118 trees and arranged for 90 to be removed or pruned.
"Now that we've dealt with the devastation the storm did to our trees, we need to deal with the devastation it did to our finances," said Bernard. "We've spent more than $14,000 to date using funds that would otherwise have gone to improving our boardwalk and trails, much-needed planting projects and educational programs. We appeal to everyone who loves the arboretum to make a donation and help us recover financially."
Founded in 1993, the Croton Arboretum and Sanctuary, Inc. is a volunteer, non-profit organization that provides environmental stewardship of the Jane E. Lytle Arboretum. The arboretum works in partnership with local schools, businesses and civic organizations to promote environmental recreation and education programs in wetland restoration, wildlife habitat enhancement and water-quality monitoring, according to the release.
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