In celebration of Arbor Day, Binghamton University and three other SUNY campuses were awarded state grants to reforest and enhance natural areas on their properties.

Under her “25 Million Trees by 2033” initiative, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $15 million in grants through the Community Reforestation Program to “establish and expand resilient forests in and near New York’s urban communities,” according to the Department of Environmental Conservation’s website.

“Healthy trees and thriving forests are New York’s most cost-effective green infrastructure we’ve got,” a department spokesperson wrote. “Trees help New York fight climate change with their ability to capture and store carbon. They’re helping our neighborhoods adapt to the impacts of climate change we’re already seeing ramp up, like addressing extreme heat by lowering surface temperatures with their shade and cooling abilities, or enhancing our ability to withstand extreme weather with their ability to uptake stormwater.”

The University received $311,841 to help restore Nuthatch Hollow, a 75-acre bird sanctuary near campus closed for general public use. As part of the project, native trees and shrubs will be planted across 29 acres to restore the forestland.

In 2002, the emerald ash borer, a beetle native to northeastern Asia, was discovered in the United States. Since then, the beetles have killed hundreds of millions of ash trees across 37 states, damaging native trees in Nuthatch Hollow, according to Martin Larocca, the University’s sustainability manager and the project’s managing lead. Larvae burrow into the inner bark and interfere with the tree’s ability to absorb nutrients and transport water.

“Emerald ash borers infest ash trees and end up killing them,” Larocca wrote. “This leads to a loss of canopy cover resulting in disrupted forest floor climate. Different animals would also make ash trees their home, but without the canopy cover from leaves their nests are more exposed to elements and predators. Losing whole species from an ecosystem will have other impacts as the native plants and animals have a balance and shared benefits with each other.

Larocca said the grant will finance plans to cut down dead ash trees and restore the habitat with native shrubs and trees like the northern red oak, sugar maple and white pine. He also said that deer exclusion fencing will regrow “the existing seed bank in the soil” and overpower invasive species.

To encourage community engagement, project participants will host planting days and work sessions on invasive species management, he added.

SUNY Oneonta was awarded $484,910 to plant more than 9,600 native trees and remove invasive species, a project that will “enhance carbon sequestration” while providing recreational opportunities for students.

About 20 acres of an underutilized, overgrown space north of the campus will be reforested, said Lachlan Squair, SUNY Oneonta’s associate vice president for facilities and planning. Another 10 acres will be reserved for solar panels, while the rest of the space will be used for “student recreational fields and a natural amphitheater for outdoor concerts.”

“I think that will be the challenge, just trying to stick to a budget literally for what we want to achieve,” Squair said. “But it is a great opportunity. It’s a nice piece of land and we can get rid of invasive species and get some nice trees growing.”

Over the summer, students will be hired to help with forest maintenance and identifying invasive species, Squair said. Oneonta will also provide students studying sustainability with applied learning opportunities.

“They’ll sort of do a baseline biodiversity essay, and then they’ll see how the biodiversity of the land has increased over the five or ten years as we develop the forest,” said Squair. “So then in terms of community benefits, we’re going to use it for some educational programs, in terms of educating people about tree planting and the benefits of forests.”

Purchase College was granted $499,942 to reforest three acres on its campus, while SUNY Cobleskill will plant more than 5,300 trees “across five acres of abandoned agricultural land.”

“Anyone can get involved in this initiative to plant trees,” the environmental department spokesperson wrote. “From volunteering and attending educational events, to simply planting a tree in their backyard, every New Yorker can contribute to the 25 Million Trees Initiative and enhance their community.”