Consultant outlines Peekskill street‑tree inventory, estimates about 7,000 city trees

Sarah Lilly, an urban-forestry consultant with Eocene Environmental Group, gave the Common Council a briefing on a state grant-funded street-tree inventory and management-plan project that aims to map and assess public trees across Peekskill’s streets, rights-of-way and select maintained park areas.

Lilly said the project will collect species, size and condition data, note stumps and planting opportunities, and help the city implement tree-inventory software for ongoing maintenance. “It’s anticipated that we’ll be looking at about 7,000 trees in the city of Peekskill,” Lilly said, adding that the work includes community outreach, GIS mapping and staff training; the team expects to deliver a draft plan in October and finish in December. City staff confirmed the project is funded by a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Urban and Community Forestry grant.

Council members and attendees pressed on scope and maintenance: staff will inventory maintained park trees (landscaped areas where people interact) and the consultant said arborists will flag hardscape damage and tree defects so the city can prioritize repairs and replacement. Lilly said the team will recommend appropriate species for constrained planting sites (for example near utilities or narrow pits) and will provide guidance for working with utility pruning practices. The presentation emphasized that the inventory is a tool to inform budgeting, maintenance schedules and future plantings rather than an immediate program of removals or large planting campaigns.