5,000 Trees Planted at Cuddebackville Preserve

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—The Orange County Land Trust partnered with The Nature Conservancy to plant 5,000 native trees on the Lower Bashakill Preserve in Cuddebackville in the town of Deerpark from April 27 to April 28.

The trees were planted in a flood plain preserve next to the Basher Kill stream, a tributary of the Neversink River. The 11 species of native trees will help establish forest cover, improve water quality in the stream, and create a wildlife habitat, the land trust said.

The land trust’s communications manager, Jeremy Schneider, told The Epoch Times on May 6 that The Nature Conservancy was willing to work on this project thanks to its 10-acre size. He said the organization usually focuses on large conservation projects in vast wilderness areas such as the Adirondack Mountains.

The Nature Conservancy had a crew of contractors come out and plant the saplings in two days. The saplings were put inside tree tubes and given stakes to help with protection and growth. Schneider said the land trust was amazed at the work done in such a short time.

The Orange County Land Trust’s part in the project was offering use of the land, which has been under its stewardship since the early 2000s, according to Schneider. The trust also decided which trees would inhabit the stream-side property.

The location being a flood plain, with the risk of being submerged in heavy rains, was a major deciding factor for what it chose. What the trees would provide to wildlife and how well they would be able to compete in the space were also considered. Selected tree species included red maple, eastern white pine, and black willow.

Schneider said that the land trust did not have to pay for the project, and that it will be its responsibility to maintain and care for the property. It wants to make sure that the trees are not damaged during the critical first few years of growth. This will include twice-yearly mowing of the area to prevent competition and insect damage.

Parts of the Lower Bashakill Preserve have long been leased to farmers for agriculture. Schneider confirmed that the leasing will continue, as the trees are planted along the outskirts of the farmland.

The property is open to the public, but there are no amenities.

Schneider said: “Our other preserves are better suited for visitors and recreation, this one is a bit more rustic. People can visit, but there’s not a lot to do. That’s something that we can look to enhance in the future.”

The land trust said in a statement that the first collaboration with The Nature Conservancy was to protect a 136-acre property in 2021. Orange County Land Trust Executive Director Jim Delaune said in the statement that he is excited that they were able to collaborate again after 25 years, and that he thanks the conservancy for making this preservation possible.

The flood plain forest restoration received praise from Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus and the area’s Orange County legislator, Thomas Faggione, in the statement.

“[The work is] a testament to the commitment we all have to leave this place better than we found it, for tomorrow and the generations that follow after us,” Faggione said.