Saluting Branches Day of Service Returning to Cortland Rural Cemetery

The Saluting Branches Annual Day of Service will once again come to the Cortland Rural Cemetery for their third consecutive year. The organization will visit the cemetery on Wednesday, September 18th. 

Saluting Branches has brought together over 4,500 arborists, tree climbers, and other professionals from 3,500 companies throughout the country to provide critical care to sites. Their effort and work helps ensure the sites remain in pristine condition, safe, and respectful. 

The Annual Day of Service is in its 10th anniversary and is a way to honor US service members by bringing together volunteers in their respected professions for a day of tree-care in military cemeteries and veteran-dedicated properties.

“Here at the Cortland Rural Cemetery — where we have both a dedicated veterans sections and military graves from all U.S. wars and conflicts distributed across our grounds — we’ve had companies from across Central New York, the Southern Tier, and even northern Pennsylvania donate their time, talent, and equipment to this effort,” said Kathy Cincotta, President of the CRC’s Board of Trustees. “It’s saved us thousands of dollars, enhanced the beauty of our grounds, improved employee and visitor safety, and helped prevent future damage to graves and grounds.”

Cincotta noted with the recent severe storms the Cortland area was hit with, especially in the month of July, damage could have been worse if Saluting Branches wasn’t proactive in removing dead trees and branches over the past two years they have been visiting the cemetery.

Spearheading the event again for the third year is Jim Malone, who is considered a highly experienced and well-credentialed arborist and forestry expert at Niagara Mohawk (National Grid). Malone also provides consulting for the City of Cortland. 

“We won’t know exactly how many companies will be sending crews this year, as weather and workloads can and do have an impact on their availability,” said Maloney. “In years past, we’ve been lucky to have so many talented companies in our area step up, make the trip here, donate many thousands of dollars of their time, and provide access to some pretty big and specialized equipment, so I’m pretty confident we’ll again have a good turnout.”

The Cortland Rural Cemetery is always accepting donations. Donations may be done via check written out to Cortland Rural Cemetery. More information is available HERE.