BUFFALO - Mayor Byron Brown Tuesday joined a Nardin Academy class of second grade students, their teachers and school administrators to plant a tree commemorating the city’s continuing reforestation efforts following the 2006 October Surprise Storm.

The students had sent an oversized letter on April 22 (Earth Day) to the Mayor asking him to do several things throughout the city to help improve the environment, including planting more trees.

“I was touched by the students’ obvious passion for our natural environment and I wanted to join them in doing something together that would have an immediate impact in a location they could all benefit from, so coming here to Nardin made sense,” said Mayor Brown. “I was told they developed the list of action items they felt are important to sustaining a healthy environment and I wanted them to know that I share their concerns, especially planting more trees throughout Buffalo.”

It is believed that 85 percent of the city’s estimated 65,000 trees (including 12,000 in the Olmsted Parks System) were damaged in the October Surprise Storm.  In the city, approximately 7,400 trees were lost entirely.

Brown placed $1 million in the city’s 2007-08 budget for reforestation efforts and added another $750,000 in his recommended 2008-09 city budget for additional reforestation activities in the city.