The City of Hudson’s Conservation Advisory Council (CAC), in partnership with Hudson Development Corporation (HDC), is pleased to announce the award of $32,075 toward the planting of new street trees in Hudson, NY. The grant money is received from the Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley.
“The HDC is delighted to partner with the CAC on this grant,:” said Misty McGee, HDC’s executive director, “Planting these native trees fits nicely with our focus to insure Hudson’s future as a desirable place to live, work and invest.”
Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley notified Britt Zuckerman, author of the grant proposal, in January 2023 that her seven page application for an Ecological Restoration Grant received enthusiastic support from the committee of reviewers.
New Street Tree on North Fifth Street
Putting landscape at the center of long-term planning can serve as a catalyst for improved quality of life and infrastructure. Hudson has the smallest ratio of green space to hardscape of any municipality in Columbia County. Strengthening our street tree canopy with will begin to correct this imbalance. This means limiting the impermeable surfaces in Hudson, providing shade and biodiversity, and looking for ways to sequester carbon. The newly planted trees will capture stormwater runoff, lower the urban heat island index, dampen the acoustics of the truck route and urban traffic, and help remediate air quality for lower asthma rates.
“The rich history of the Hudson Valley,” says Britt Zuckerman, “is one rooted in stewardship of the land. The new trees would be primarily native species, helping to correct years of invasive tree plantings, and the under-plantings will support pollinator health, with new soils supporting microbial health.”