If it’s a Monday, a crew of suburban foresters might be at a home on Apollo Drive. No, make that Haviland Park.
Actually, on any given day they might be trimming branches that brush power lines, removing dead or diseased trees, planting new ones, or cleaning up from a storm — Greece gets ’em, you know — most anywhere in town.
Many times, the three-person crew and one seasonal worker won’t know for certain when they leave work for the day at 3:30 p.m. where they will be next until they arrive for work at 7 a.m. the next day.
Make no mistake, the work will be waiting for them — the town has an estimated 12,000 town-owned street trees and another 4,000 in parks — and they will respond to between three and 12 calls a day during the season.
And what they do, they do well — they have received recognition by the nonprofit National Arbor Day Foundation for 13 consecutive years, after all — and they do it quickly.
“The goal is to get as much tree work done responsibly as possible,” said Doug Dennstedt, a foreman in Greece’s forestry division and 20-year town employee. “But we make it look simple.”
The Dewey-Stone neighborhood, with its older tree-lined streets and sidewalks, is a priority, which is one of the reasons why Dennstedt and his crew were called on to remove an approximately 60-year-old Norway maple, he said.
The limbs were up in the power line, and the tree’s growth was stunted, for some reason. The trunk should have a diameter of 40 inches and a height of 70 to 80 feet, he said.
This particular tree? Well, it’s a moot point, because in between the time they arrived at 11 a.m. and left 40 minutes later, Dennstedt had chain-sawed the limbs, the crew had cleared the streets below of 60 years of tree limbs, and what was left of the trunk was knocked over and carted away — all before lunch.
Dennstedt likes being outdoors, and he likes his job. And that helps for efficiency.
“You can’t drag yourself to work if you don’t like what you’re doing,” Dennstedt said, shortly after he and his crew made quick work of this maple.
The town recently received Tree City USA designation, which isn’t an honor the National Arbor Day Foundation hands out to just anybody. Greece also received the organization’s Growth Award for environmental improvement and demonstrating higher levels of tree care.
“Tree Cities” like Greece must meet four rigorous standards: A town needs to have a tree department made up of residents and certified foresters, a tree-care ordinance, a comprehensive forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance, which earlier this year Greece held in memory of the late Hunter Thomas Resch, a 7-year-old Cub Scout and first-grader at Paddy Hill Elementary School.
“Communities that are honored with a Tree City USA designation and Growth Award make a strong commitment to planting and caring for trees, and we applaud their efforts,” said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the foundation.
Implementing tree replacement and tree-planting programs are important, said John Plummer, chairman of the town’s Tree Council and senior labor foreman for the town’s forestry division.
“It’s not just about a couple of guys going out and haphazardly trimming trees,” Plummer said.
The Town Board last month approved a forestry plan for the year, which identifies goals over and above dealing with problem trees for the year. For instance, Greece will continue a neighborhood planting program, which, like its name suggests, encourages residents to select appropriate trees for planting in front of their homes. And it’s a popular program among residents.
Of the 165 trees planted this year alone, 65 were done through this program, Plummer said.
The tree program costs roughly $273,000 a year, which is not an expensive service given what they do, but does show the commitment to bettering the Greece community — today and tomorrow, Plummer said.
The tree folks work on an education program geared to teaching youngsters about the importance of trees. Long term, the town is studying the possibility of developing an arboretum.
“It’s a conscious effort by a whole host of people working together for the betterment of the entire community,” Plummer said. “The best thing about the tree community is that we all share information to better educate the public and ourselves.”
Dennstedt, who has worked for Greece for about 20 years, may enjoy the work, but he recognizes the responsibility and importance of what he and his co-workers do.
Supervisor John Auberger said the work increases town property values and beautifies the community, but also addresses the big environmental picture — fighting pollution, conserving energy, and giving wildlife a place to call home.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Dennstedt said. “The right tree in the right spot is a conscientious effort, and we take it seriously. We’ve done a lot of great things.”
