News Release - Mayor Lovely Warren, County Executive Maggie Brooks, Arbor Day Committee Invite Public to Attend Tree Planting

City of Rochester

News Release

(Monday, April 14, 2014) – City of Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren and Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks along with members of the Greater Rochester Arbor Day Committee invite the public to join the annual Greater Rochester Arbor Day Celebration with a tree planting at 11 a.m., Friday, April 25 near the Chapel in Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitors may reach the event by entering the north entrance off Mt. Hope Avenue (791 Mt. Hope Ave. opposite Robinson Dr.).

“The city is pleased that the Greater Rochester Arbor Day Committee has selected Mount Hope Cemetery, America's first Victorian municipal cemetery, as the location for its Arbor Day tree planting,” said Mayor Warren, “As we continue to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Mount Hope Cemetery, we are aware that trees have always greatly contributed to its serene atmosphere. This planting is symbolic of our belief in the value of maintaining our beautiful natural resources for future generations; and it also indicates the importance of Mount Hope Cemetery as a keeper of the past and a peaceful oasis for our residents.”

Highlight of the event will be the planting of a Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). “Considered one of the greatest botanical finds of the 20th century, the Dawn Redwood was known only from ancient fossils, until a small population was discovered in the forests of Central China in 1944,” said City Forester Brian Liberti, “The tree is now identified as endangered, due to the fact that the existing numbers are so few in the wild.”

The Greater Rochester Arbor Day Committee is comprised of members from the City, Monroe County, the Genesee Finger Lakes Nursery and Landscape Association, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Horticulture Associates and Meadowview Nursery.

This year’s event will also bring emphasis to the City’s Reforest Mount Hope Cemetery initiative to raise $70,000 for new trees. “Since 1838, Mount Hope Cemetery has provided its visitors with a calm environment, and its majestic natural forest, combined with diverse tree specimens from around the globe, are an essential element of the cemetery’s beauty,” says Department of Environmental Services Commissioner Norman Jones. “Our goal is to purchase and plant new trees, and to replace the cemetery’s population of aging trees that have been impacted by time and weather.” For information: http://www.cityofrochester.gov/reforestmounthope/ .

During the festivities, students will be recognized for their participation in an Arbor Day Poster competition conducted by the Greater Rochester Arbor Day Committee. All attendees at the ceremony will receive Arbor Day posters, bookmarks, tree seedlings to plant at home and refreshments.

Long known as the “Flower City” for its leadership in nursery and horticulture endeavors, the city of Rochester has also been designated for 33 consecutive years as a “Tree City USA” by the National Arbor Day Foundation for its outstanding forestry efforts.

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News Media: For further information contact Communications Director Chris Christopher at 428-7135.