Trees Injured at Blue Mountain Reservation, but Trails Open

Westchester County maintains many parks across its towns, cities and villages. Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill has trees down in its main picnic areas, where they are less dense, and probably hundreds more down throughout the forested trails.

Patch asked Westchester County Parks Commissioner Peter Tartaglia some questions about what happens in a county-run park following a storm like we saw on Oct. 29. 

These questions are specific to Blue Mountain: 

Is there an idea of how many trees are down?

No, but there are many. An official count in the natural areas of the park will probably not happen.

Will the county hire arborists to save trees there?

The plan is to hire labors to assist existing staff. (The funds to pay for this came from federal funds the county received after Hurricane Irene to hire unemployed to help with clean up.) These will be largely unskilled laborers doing hand-work like dragging brush and logs and doing hand work to make trail repairs. This is a more typical and practical solution for trail work. No arborists again because this is a natural process in these wooded areas.

How long is clean up expected to take? Cleanup will be indefinite. Since this is a nature reserve some accommodation will be made for the storms impact. Some areas are likely forever changed. The trails will be redirected around obstacles and the natural features will be incorporated into the trails.

Are any trails currently closed?

No trails are closed at this time. Park staff has been quite busy with the storm impacts to the more readily accessible and more heavily used areas of the park. Those areas will be addressed first. Assessment will continue as time allows and as trail riders and other users report specific issues. If it becomes necessary to close a trail or portion thereof, they will reopen just as soon as they can be made safe or redirected whichever is deemed to be a more practical solution.

Were there any other environmental damage at Blue Mountain caused by the snow storm other than fallen limbs and trees? Trails have been designed to minimize the environmental impact of the users but in this case, it should not be characterized as “environmental damage” as storms and storm cycles are an anticipated and accepted part of nature. Trees get blown down and trails sometimes are eroded.