FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 29, 2025

Kingston Awarded $1.6M for Reforestation, Largest Tree Grant in City History

KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce that the City of Kingston has received $1,608,947 from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for reforestation in Kingston parks.

With funding from DEC’s Community Reforestation (CoRe) grant program, the City of Kingston will re-establish healthy forests in five public parks by planting thousands of trees at Forsyth Park, Hasbrouck Park, Kingman Park, the Kingston Greenline, and Kingston Point Park.

Mayor Noble said, “Thanks to this generous funding from DEC, we will be able to reestablish healthy forested areas in five of our park spaces for the shared use and benefit of the public. As we know, healthy trees can be a stimulus to spiking economic development, attracting businesses, and boosting tourism in a community. I look forward to working with our Urban Forester and the Tree Commission to adding to our growing tree count.”

Brent Knepper, City of Kingston Urban Forester said, “This Community Reforestation Grant is an incredible investment in the health and longevity of Kingston’s urban forest. I’m grateful for the opportunity this grant allows for us to maintain the benefits trees provide to us and to the local ecology.”

“Resilient urban forests support community health, well-being and sustainability,” Governor Hochul said in the press release. “I’m celebrating Arbor Day 2025 by awarding $15 million in new grants to support projects across the State that will bring the countless ecological and economic benefits of trees to urban areas.”

Trees in urban areas help reduce high temperatures created by the urban heat island effect. CoRe-funded projects are predominantly located in communities with high heat vulnerability. Studies show that forested natural areas can be as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than under the shade of a street tree just a few hundred feet away. DEC administers the new CoRe grant program, which supports the State’s efforts to plant 25 million trees by 2033. Read the full announcement here.

The City of Kingston has been a Tree City USA for 29 years. Mayor Noble set a goal of planting 1,000 trees by 2030 as outlined in the City’s Open Space Plan, and has created a tree counter to record the number of new street and park trees planted in the City of Kingston. More information on the City of Kingston’s tree initiatives can be found at https://kingston-ny.gov/urbanforestry.