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DECEIVE APR 27 2026 COUNTY OF ERIE WN OF AURORA og SLIPERV! DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING > | ERVISORS OFF ICE ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE SERVICES DIVISION DANIEL R. CASTLE, AICP BONNIE L. LAWRENCE COMMISSIONER DEPUTY COMMISSIONER April 20, 2026 a The Honorable Charles Snyder ‘G C) 575 Oakwood Avenue East Aurora, NY 14052 GG Dear Honorable Charles Snyder, The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning will be completing a county-wide Community Forest Management Plan (“the Plan”) through grant funding from the USDA Forest Service. The Plan will explore how to leverage existing programs through municipal and non-profit organizations to improve our tree canopy and its health, as well as identify new funding opportunities to implement recommendations. To understand communities’ tree needs, we ask that you have the person in charge of tree planting and maintenance in your municipality answer this brief survey by May 22"°. Your answers to this survey will help us describe existing conditions throughout the County, including municipal or community forest management plans and policies, training capacity, and tree care needs. The Plan will then identify best management practices to protect and improve tree canopy cover throughout Erie County, as well as recommendations for priority areas for planting, tree maintenance, shared service opportunities between local governments, and ways to reduce risk from invasive species and disease. Completion of this survey may require collaboration between municipal staff. If at any point you do not know how to answer a question, you may write down “None,” “NA,” or “Unsure.” We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey, which will inform Erie County of the existing conditions within your municipality and guide the investment of resources, including USDA grant funding for implementation of some recommendations. We will follow up with an email and an electronic link to the survey. If you have questions, please contact Deputy Commissioner Bonnie Lawrence at [email protected] or 716-858-8560. Sincerely, Daniel R. Castle, ACIP CC: Town of Aurora Clerk Town of Aurora DPW/Highway/Municipal Tree Staff RATH BUILDING - 95 FRANKLIN STREET ~ BUFFALO, N.Y.* 14202 - (716) 858-8390 - WWW.ERIE.GOV