FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2024
Mayor Noble Launches Tree Planting Counter to Reach Goal of Planting 1,000 Trees by 2030
KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce that, in order to track progress toward meeting his goal of planting 1,000 trees by 2030 as set in the City’s Open Space Plan, a tree counter has been created to record the number of new street and park trees planted in the City of Kingston.
“Trees are increasingly vital to the well-being not just of humans, but of cities. We are so lucky here in Kingston to have such a wealth of trees, but we need to ensure that we are protecting our trees and increasing our tree count for future generations,” said Mayor Noble. “When working on new projects, we sometimes need to remove dead or diseased trees to proceed, but we try to preserve every healthy tree possible when planning infrastructure improvements. With this tree counter, we are keeping the public informed of our progress.”
In addition to trees planted for City-sponsored projects like Henry Street Safe Routes to School, Franklin Street Complete Streets, Midtown Parking Lots Improvements and many more, the City of Kingston’s Street Tree Planting program installed 38 street trees in 2023. With funds from the NYSDEC Urban and Community Forestry Grant program and the annual City of Kingston Shade Tree budget, four cherry trees were planted in Academy Green, four trees at Rondout Gardens Apartments, three at St. Mary’s Cemetery, three at Community Action on Lindsley Ave, two at Kingston Point Beach, one at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, one at the former Visitor’s Center at 20 Broadway, and at 20 residences throughout Kingston, with a concentration in Midtown.
The Street Tree Planting program application is open to City of Kingston residents and business owners with the agreement that the care and maintenance will be the property owner’s responsibility. Species are chosen by the Tree Commission, which identifies types of trees that will have a positive impact on biodiversity and will be the appropriate size for the planting locations. At least 20 street trees are expected to be planted this year.
In 2024, 125 new trees will be planted as part of the Dietz Stadium Improvements Project, 28 will be planted at the new Post Office Park, and eight will be planted as part of the Clinton Avenue Improvements Project.
With a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, the City of Kingston will soon be hiring a full-time Urban Forester for long-term tree protection and maintenance. The Urban Forester will analyze the City’s existing programs, policies, and conditions, engage the public, and use that information to develop and implement a plan to increase canopy cover and resilience, decrease invasive species, address environmental sustainability, and more.
At the 2024 Arbor Day Ceremony on April 26 at George Washington Elementary, a sugar maple will be planted courtesy of the Kingston Memorial Tree Fund. The City of Kingston has been a Tree City USA for 28 years.
The City of Kingston’s tree counter can be found at https://engagekingston.com/tree-counter.
For more information about the City’s tree programs, visit https://www.kingston-ny.gov/Trees or contact the Planning Office at 845-334-3954 or [email protected].