© 2024 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
WBFO Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Your NPR Station
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Shoshone Park losing dozens of trees infested by emerald ash borer

Mike Desmond/WBFO News

The shaded areas of North Buffalo's Shoshone Park are not going to be shaded for much longer, as the invasive emerald ash borer has taken its toll on most of the trees in the park. 

Buffalo Common Council Member Rasheed Wyatt held a public meeting at the Gloria J. Parks Center in North Buffalo Monday to let people know that dozens of ash trees will have to be cut down because they have been infected by the invasive species.

About 15 trees have been cut down so far and 70 more will have to go. Wyatt is not happy about the solution, but says, "I don't think there's any other way that we can get around it, so it's something that we're going to have to deal with for a period of time, but what's important to me is that the community was aware of it."

While almost all of the trees in the park now are ash trees, the ones that replace them will be a variety of different species, according to Andy Rabb, Deputy Public Works Commissioner for Parks.

Rabb says since the new trees are being planted by contractors, they will be large, around three inches in diameter, and will establish the tree canopy faster than if they had used smaller trees.

Rabb says the park will get improvements along with the replacement trees.

"We're rebuilding the basketball court, we're turning the tennis court into a street hockey court, and we're adding some benches to the park," he said, and adds they are also close to completing a ramp to provide an ADA-compliant ramp to connect the park to the Rails-To-Trails Minnesota linear park.

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.
Related Content