KINGSTON, N.Y. – More than 30 street trees have been planted in the city this year with funding provided, in part, by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, according to Mayor Steve Noble.

On Thursday, Noble announced that 38 trees were planted throughout the city using funding from the DEC’s Urban and Community Forestry Grant program and the annual Kingston shade tree budget.

This year, street trees were planted across the city in various locations, including four cherry trees in Academy Green to replace trees that suffered storm damage, four at Rondout Gardens Apartments, three at St. Mary’s Cemetery, three at Community Action on Lindsley Avenue, two at Kingston Point Beach, one at the Andy Murphy Midtown Neighborhood Center, one at the former Visitor’s Center at 20 Broadway, and at 20 residences throughout Kingston, with a concentration in Midtown.

“The City of Kingston takes great pride in our trees and I am pleased to continue this important program to plant street trees throughout the City,” Noble said in a statement. “As we all well know, trees have multiple positive benefits for everything from health to environment to beautification.”

City Planner Suzanne Cahill said that the tree program has been successful over the years.

“Since establishing the Kingston Tree Commission in 1995, the City of Kingston has maintained a strong commitment to the preservation and care for our urban landscape”, Cahill said in a statement. “Our green cityscape provides our community with both ecological and economic benefits. With regular investment in the care for and planting of new street trees, we serve to promote neighborhood stability, enhanced well-being and pay homage to our original Dutch name ‘Wiltwyck’ meaning wild woods.”

The street tree application is open to 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, the mayor’s office said.

The announcement said that in addition, as part of the Henry Street Safe Routes to School project, six trees were planted in 2023, with 22 more being planted in spring 2024 at the project’s completion. As part of the Midtown parking lots green infrastructure project, 12 trees were planted. For Arbor Day, a Sweetgum tree was planted at Rondout Neighborhood Center and an Eastern Redbud Tree of Peace was planted at City Hall during a Native American ceremony.

In May 2018, the city completed a tree inventory and management plan of street and park trees. The tree inventory identified 3,937 total trees within the street right-of-way and maintained parkland areas, the news release said, adding that the inventory also identified 1,198 vacant sites appropriate for new tree plantings.

The Midtown area has been identified as the most highly trafficked area that is underserved for street trees, the mayor’s office said.

According to the report, the most common species in Kingston are Norway maple (13.1%), honey locust (10.1%), ornamental pear (8.3%), sugar maple (7.6%), and red maple (5.6%) with a total of 116 different species recorded. Almost 90% of recorded trees were in fair or better condition.

Earlier this year,  Kingston received $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to hire a full-time Urban Forester for long-term tree protection and maintenance. With this funding, Kingston will establish an Urban Forester position to manage the city’s urban forest holistically, taking a comprehensive approach.

For more information, visit https://www.kingston-ny.gov/Trees, call (845) 334-3954 or email [email protected].