Churchville celebrates Arbor Day with planting of American Chestnut tree

Churchville
celebrates Arbor Day with planting of American Chestnut tree

A poem read on Saturday, April 29 during a special celebration of Arbor Day in the Village of Churchville notes the significance of the day, the event and the hope for the future.

This was not the first tree that the Village of Churchville has planted in honor of Arbor Day. Other trees include an oak along the sidewalk near the cemetery (2002); a red maple in front of the Village Municipal Office (2003); a ginko tree on the Village Municipal Campus near the gazebo (2004); and a purple beech tree in the cemetery (2005).

With the planting of the purple beech tree last year and the American Chestnut tree this year, the village is starting a Heritage Tree Collection. The idea is to plant another heritage-type tree each year on Arbor Day.

"This was a memorable day in many ways," said Village Deputy Mayor Nancy Steedman. "The village was able to continue its Heritage Tree Collection in the cemetery with the planting of an American Chestnut tree."

This year's tree already has history. The American Chestnut's parent tree is on Rock Beach Road (known as the Gold Coast) in Irondequoit. The owner of the property at the time was Frank Goodwin who collected chestnuts and planted them along the water front.

Goodwin subsequently gave a neighbor of his, Carl Guth, some chestnuts from the trees. Guth, in turn, gave some of the chestnuts to his sister, Jean Schult, who lives in Spencerport. Schult placed them in her refrigerator and a year later the chestnuts sprouted. She planted the nuts in her side yard where they grew for about five years. And for this year's Arbor Day, Schult generously donated five of the trees to the village for the planting in Creekside Cemetery.

Children, including those from the Boy Scouts and Brownies, helped plant the tree by lifting shovel-full after shovel-full of dirt, bringing truth to the last line of the Arbor Day poem -- "a tale of children who planted me."

"The tree has such a marvelous story that I am sure the youngsters who helped plant this tree will remember it all their lives. To imagine them coming back to the cemetery, maybe with their children and grandchildren, and remembering this day is a real heart-warmer," said Steedman.

Dear little tree that we plant today. What will you be when we're old and gray?

The savings banks of the squirrel and mouse. For the robin and wren an apartment house.

The dressing room of the butterfly's ball. The locust's and katydid's concert hall.

The school boy's ladder in pleasant June. The school girl's tent in the July moon.

And my leaves shall whisper right merrily. A tale of children who planted me.