Environment DEC
From the December 2007 issue
Ceremony Marks 20,000th Seedling Planted in Long Island Pine Barrens
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced that employees of the Estee Lauder Corporation and their families, working with staff from DEC, planted their 20,000th pitch pine seedling in Long Island's Central Pine Barrens region on November 17.
Corporations/State Agencies Work Together
Employees of DEC and Estee Lauder Corporation plant the 20,000 tree
"I am proud of the efforts made by DEC and the employees of Estee Lauder in planting 20,000 tree seedlings in Long Island's sensitive Pine Barrens region," Commissioner Grannis said. "In addition to improving air quality, trees contribute to the protection of our drinking water and provide critical habitat for the state's wildlife. This accomplishment is an example of how corporations and state agencies can work together to protect and enhance New York's precious natural resources."
The seedlings planted over the past nine years began their journey as tiny seeds inside the prickly cones of pitch pines-Long Island's native pine tree. The cones are collected every fall and sent to DEC's Saratoga Tree Nursery in Saratoga County. At the nursery, the seeds are extracted and germinated to produce two- and three-year-old seedlings, which are returned to Long Island for planting in degraded areas of the Pine Barrens. Surviving seedlings will grow to produce oxygen, trap carbon dioxide and other pollutants, provide habitat for wildlife, protect the watershed and drinking water aquifer, and be part of the largest and last remaining natural outdoor area on Long Island.
DEC manages the nearly 6,000 acre Rocky Point Natural Resources Area, the 3,000 acre Otis Pike Preserve, the 2,000 acre David A. Sarnoff Preserve, and other natural areas to protect their vital natural resources and to provide outdoor recreation. For more information and access permits to these and other areas contact the DEC Long Island permit and license office at 631-444-0273.
A Long Tradition of Reforestation
The Saratoga Nursery has been producing tree and shrub seedlings for reforestation and other conservation projects throughout the state since 1911. In addition to the Estee Lauder Corporation, many other local civic, scouting and school groups participate in DEC-sponsored tree planting projects. Some of the more popular projects include annual Arbor Day events as well as the School Seedling Program. Additional information on Long Island-based DEC forestry management programs can be obtained by calling DEC's Region 1 Bureau of Forest Management at 631-444-0285. A wealth of information about all of DEC's forestry management programs can be found on the Forests page of DEC's website.
