Snow Surprise!

By Nancy A. Fredrickson APR

The Mount Calvary Cemetery Group horticulture staff, including three certified horticulturalists, was gearing up for fall clean-up and to prepare the grounds for winter when the ?EUR??,,????'??October Surprise?EUR??,,????'?? snow storm struck on Thursday afternoon October 12, 2006, hitting Buffalo and its immediate suburbs of about a million people. Sounds like cars backfiring were tree limbs snapping, cracking and being ripped from tree trunks under the weight of the snow. In December, President Bush declared Buffalo a disaster area with estimated damages of $150 to $200 million.

Mother Nature Dealt a Heavy Blow to the Five Cemeteries of the Mount Calvary Cemetery Group in Cheektowaga, N.Y., from Which They?EUR??,,????'???re Still Trying to Recover.

However, that afternoon cold, dark clouds rolled across the lake, sucking up huge amounts of moisture. As the foreboding clouds reached the Buffalo shores, they began spitting sticky, wet snow. ?EUR??,,????'??October Surprise?EUR??,,????'?? dropped two to three feet of dense, wet snow in 12 hours. The maples, ashes and oaks were not ready for the inundation. Flashes of lightning and claps of thunder pierced the night. Unsettling sounds like cars backfiring or gunfire were tree limbs snapping, cracking and being ripped from tree trunks under the weight of the snow. Mighty trees that had withstood the elements for more than a century looked like Mother Nature had repeatedly stabbed them, splintering trunks and limbs. The governor declared a state of emergency on Oct. 13, 2006, an edict that lasted several days. The clouds gave way to azure skies and warming temperatures. Areas flooded and some places had no power for weeks. The National Guard helped clear roads of trees and debris, but it took nearly a month for all roads to reopen. The tree damage was catastrophic.

 

As staff arrived that Saturday morning, the snow blowers were fired up, plows came out of storage and were attached to vehicles and snow shovels came down from the racks. The first action was to clear the major roads in and out of the cemeteries to allow the grounds crew to begin clean up and to call back seasonal employees who had just been released the previous week.

Branches dangled precariously, remaining ominously overhead. By December, President Bush declared Buffalo a disaster area. Estimated damages were $150 to $200 million.

Buffalo is home to several Frederick Law Olmsted designed parks going back to 1868. An estimated 90 percent of the parks?EUR??,,????'??? 11,000 trees were damaged, and nearly that number elsewhere in Buffalo and its suburbs. It may take at least a generation before Buffalo is once again the ?EUR??,,????'??City of Trees.?EUR??,,????'??

Initial property inspections were conducted from a John Deere Gator utility vehicle, winding through the maze of destruction, looking for downed trees, damage to buildings and separated powers lines. Nearly every type of tree native to western New York (oak, elm, ash, chestnut, maple) grows on the cemetery grounds. Of Mount Calvary?EUR??,,????'???s 8,000 beautiful and noble trees, nearly 45 percent sustained significant damage. More than 700 no longer grace the landscape and nearly 3,000 have a 50-50 chance of survival.

The Mount Calvary Cemetery Group Experience

The Mount Calvary Cemetery Group is a family of five cemeteries in Cheektowaga, N.Y., an eastern suburb of Buffalo. (Ed. note: The name Cheektowaga apparently derives from the Erie-Seneca Indian phrase for ?EUR??,,????'??place of the crabapple tree.?EUR??,,????'??)

Ridge Lawn?EUR??,,????'???s manicured grounds frame the memorials and narrow winding roads guide visitors through myriad, distinct monuments and carefully cultivated majestic arbors. Nearly every type of tree native to western New York (oak, elm, ash, chestnut, maple) adorns the serene grounds.

A number of trees close to the roadside uprooted, causing craters in road sections as large as 20 by 5 feet. Fortunately, the irrigation systems for all the cemeteries were undamaged. Most hedges were away from trees and held up well; the turf was also resilient. Mount Calvary scaled back on normal spring flower plantings. The spring weather has been perfect for grass growing, but the crews were so busy with high profile areas and getting floral beds ready for Mother?EUR??,,????'???s Day and Memorial Day services that the seven-day cutting cycle is off. Sprayed fertilizers and weed retardants are about a month behind.

Game Plan

In 2006, Calvary was in the third phase of an eight-point landscape revitalization. The landscape was in excellent condition after a summer with moderate temperatures and just the right amount of rain. The horticulture staff, including three certified horticulturalists with more than 45 years combined expertise, was gearing up for fall clean-up and preparing the grounds for winter.

?EUR??,,????'??Our goal was to get into each cemetery, assess dangerous situations and prioritize overall needs,?EUR??,,????'?? said Dinola. The initial clean up focused on dangerous situations, then securing properties, executing plans for each section to make them functional, evaluating the use of the crew and outside contractors, and developing restoration programs for replacing lost trees and damaged horticulture.

Of the more than 70,000 monuments in the five cemeteries that comprise the Mount Calvary Cemetery Group, only five were knocked over, and none were damaged. The only casualties were a few floral urns crushed under the weight of fallen limbs.

Resources and Staff Allocation

The 25 seasonal/casual employees who had just finished up the year were called and given an opportunity to return to help. A skeleton union crew works throughout the year. Within three days 30 people were out in the field working.

?EUR??,,????'??Instead of each field supervisor working independently with their own crew, we pooled our resources,?EUR??,,????'?? explains Dinola.

Mount Calvary crews quickly became experts at handling and trimming large debris, but it wasn?EUR??,,????'???t enough. Mount Calvary contracted two vendors to help with the clean-up. The large chipper handled limbs up to 8-inch in diameter.

Call in the Cavalry

?EUR??,,????'??You have to know your limitations, strengths and be realistic about manpower and equipment,?EUR??,,????'?? said Wutz. Mount Calvary contracted two vendors to help.

Davey Tree Service, the second contractor, removed dangerous hanging branches, trimmed the ripped limbs and branches and removed several large trees this spring. They used ?EUR??,,????'??climbers?EUR??,,????'?? to reach areas their lift trucks could not. They cut, dragged and chipped remaining damaged trees. They also pruned trees. A flat rate was negotiated for their services: five weeks, six days a week for $115,000.

This year, with the remaining clean up that was required, grass cutting didn?EUR??,,????'???t begin until the first week of May. Grounds were carefully covered raking up small sticks that could cause injury as well as damage to machines. The final clean up has put all other landscaping on hold.

Restoration

Inspecting the properties in early spring 2007 revealed no residual storm effects and no diseases apparent, meaning no special pesticide campaign is required, reports Dinola.

Reed feels the cemetery is about a year away from replacing any trees. ?EUR??,,????'??The jury is still out on many trees whose crowns were damaged in excess of 50 percent or more,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. The cemetery is planning to use a lot of wood chips for mulch in the cemeteries by late summer. ?EUR??,,????'??We have been advised to wait to use the chips for six months to allow the wood to decompose a bit and drive out the acid and nitrates,?EUR??,,????'?? Dinola explains.

The cemetery?EUR??,,????'???s staff horticulturists brought in an arborist to assess tree damage and map out a three-phase tree evaluation, trimming and restoration plan. This spring, Davey Tree Service was enlisted to remove all dangerous hanging branches, trim the ripped limbs and branches and remove several large trees. A flat rate was negotiated for their services: five weeks, six days a week for $115,000.

Lessons Learned

From October 13 to December 1, 2006, the cemetery spent $65,000 in unbudgeted labor costs. Overtime work by union employees also drove overall salary budget over the edge for the year.

?EUR??,,????'??Our greatest challenge has been the lack of funding/assistance from outside agencies. It has been very frustrating,?EUR??,,????'?? adds Wutz. ?EUR??,,????'??FEMA and New York State Emergency Office have provided no monetary assistance and our insurance carrier has turned us down. We?EUR??,,????'???ve spent approximately $250,000, with another $500,000 yet to go. It will take us another year to complete the clean-up and restore much of the landscape. Unfortunately, a 12-foot sapling can?EUR??,,????'???t replace a stately 200-year-old tree.?EUR??,,????'??