NEWS

Land on a creek? Get a free tree!

Steve Orr
@SOrr1

A program that already has given away 10,000 erosion-busting trees and shrubs is offering more free plants this fall in select portions of the Genesee River watershed.

Property owners, local municipalities and conservation groups are eligible to receive plants under the Genesee Trees for Tributaries program. The Trees for Tribs program, funded by the state's Environmental Protection Fund and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, is in use in other parts of the state as well.

It encourages the planting of trees, shrubs and other greenery on and near the banks of streams as a way to prevent erosion and to slow the runoff of storm water that can carry soil, fertilizer and other nutrients. The Genesee carries a heavy load of both sediment and nutrients, which impact water clarity and quality in the river and in the river's outlet, Lake Ontario.

This section of Oatka Creek near Scottsville already is tree-lined. July 30, 2015 photo.

"Riparian forest buffers are one of the most cost-effective tools for improving water quality, enhancing aquatic and wildlife habitat and strengthening streambank resiliency," said Basil Seggos, the state environmental conservation commissioner, in a prepared statement.

The free plantings are available for use in four specific areas  — the watersheds of Honeoye Creek and Oatka Creek and the portion of Black Creek upstream of Byron, Genesee County, and the Genesee from the Mount Morris Dam north to Scottsville.

Portions of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Wyoming and Genesee counties lie within those designated areas.

More than 10,000 native trees and shrubs were planted in the sub-watersheds this spring. The stock on offer now is for planting this fall. The available species include plants such as red maple and buttonbush that are attractive to bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

Four-foot sturgeon found in Genesee River

More information about the eligible geographic areas and the program itself are available by visiting the website of the Wyoming County Soil and Water Conservation District, which is coordinating the program, or by calling Megan Boberg of the conservation district at (585) 786-3675, extension 4.

SORR@Gannett.com