This month, 56 new trees will be planted throughout the city as part of our Community Tree Program. Though small in isolation, that figure is only part of a much larger story.
Newport presents several distinct challenges to planting and maintaining a healthy urban forest. The historic layout of the city's densely packed buildings and narrow streets and sidewalks were not designed with modern accessibility or open-space considerations in mind. As a result, finding locations to plant trees that maximize community benefit AND support planting success is a constant challenge.
Since 1996, NTC & Newport's Public Services Department have worked together to offer a bare-root tree planting program (now the Community Tree Program) that focusses on offering subsidized trees and free planting services to residents. Moving these planting out of the sidewalk wherever possible reduces planting costs, provides more hospitable growing locations, and greatly increases the number of potential planting spaces. |
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Case in point: the maple tree at right, planted in 1997, casts cooling shade on Greenough Place where the sidewalk is too narrow to support a street tree.
Our work is incremental, but powerful in aggregate, just like the trees we plant. While a single 2" diameter tree will only cast a meagre sliver of shade in its early years, inch by incremental inch, its impact grows. Taken together, the past ten years of bare root plantings (for which we have reliable data) has generated:
426 new trees in Newport
55,513 sqft of canopy cover
8 tons of carbon storage
Nearly 20,000 gallons of storm runoff avoidance
(figures generated with iTree Eco)
Stretching all the way back to the first bare-root plantings in 1996, our partnership with the City and residents has added over 1,200 new trees and their equivalent benefits to our community, through this program alone. The long-term health of our community forest depends on a collaborative, incremental approach, and we owe tremendous thanks to you, our supporters, for joining us in our mission to plant for the future.
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Arbor Day is a day to observe, appreciate and plant trees, and it’s seen as a day of optimism for the planet. The Arbor Day Foundation explains, “While most holidays celebrate something that has already happened and is worth remembering, Arbor Day represents a hope for the future. The simple act of planting a tree represents a belief that the tree will grow to provide us with clean air and water, cooling shade, habitat for wildlife, healthier communities, and endless natural beauty — all for a better tomorrow.”
This year, Newport has been chosen to host the State Arbor Day celebration!
We are proud to host the event alongside the Newport Tree and Open Space Commission and the RI Tree Council, with the RI Energy Corporation as a lead sponsor. Help us get these trees in the ground to continue to grow our urban tree canopy!
We will gather at Miantonomi Park to mark the special occasion, culminating in tree planting on Friday, April 28th, from 10:30am - 11:30am. This event is free and open to the public - no registration required!
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Now is the time to renew your membership with us here at the Newport Tree Conservancy! Remember that beyond our newsletter members also have benefits including a $5 discount to all full-price NTC tours & workshops, reciprocal benefits to participating American Horticultural Society member gardens, and the NTC annual report: highlighting our activities and the supporters who facilitate our mission.
This year we are offering something NEW! All members will also get early access registration to our Arboreta Tours with their member codes! Simply type in your code in the Promo section and available tickets will appear!
We would also like to focus this year on environmental friendliness with carpooling, bike riding, and ride sharing apps. Remember that Bike Newport offers bike rentals. These options help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and make parking easier.
Sign up or renew now and we thank you for your support as we plant for the future!
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Earth Day Tree Planting & Mulching
Saturday April 22nd
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Morton Park - Volunteer Event
Celebrate Earth Day by helping NTC plant a young tree in Morton Park. Did you know that each tree that we add to Newport’s urban forest takes carbon out of the atmosphere to help fight climate change? Trees also help mitigate stormwater runoff, cool the city, and provide habitat for wildlife. Help us make a difference by signing up to lend a hand. No experience necessary, and it is appropriate for adults and children. Please dress for the weather and bring work gloves if you have them.
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Free Tree Walk: Birding in Miantonomi Park
Thursday April 27th
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Newport - Free
Join NTC for a free tree walk that focuses on our urban forest as habitat for migrating birds. We will learn about how the timing of leaf and flower emergence has coevolved with bird migration and breeding activity. April is a great time to observe spring behaviors in birds as well as other signs of the season in the forest. Please note this walk will involve walking up and down hills. Beginner birders welcome!
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Tree Corps Kick-Off
Thursday May 4th
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Morton Park - Volunteer Event
Help us kick off this year's Tree Corps volunteer season by helping to plant trees in Morton Park! Each week of the growing season, we will provide essential care for Newport's city trees by mulching, pruning, and watering as needed. Volunteers are needed weekly for this recurring opportunity to make a difference in Newport's urban forest. Volunteers receive NTC T-shirts. Tools will be provided, and experience is not necessary.
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Arboretum Tour: Toad Hall
Wednesday May 10th
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Portsmouth - $25
($20 with member discount)
Join the Newport Tree Conservancy for a tour of Toad Hall, a member of our Community Arboreta program. The first private home in Portsmouth to earn arboretum accreditation from ArbNet, Toad Hall is a beautiful seaside residence. Boasting an extraordinarily diverse array of trees, shrubs, fruit and vegetable crops, herbaceous perennials, and annuals, the landscape is a master-work of landscape planning and care. Points of interest include extensive tulip plantings, azaleas and rhododendrons, flowering shrubs, and specimen trees, topped off by the beautiful views of the Sakonnet river. Ronn St. Jean, the property’s knowledgeable gardener, will join us to detail his creations and answer questions.
Address and parking instructions will be provided to registrants in their email confirmation. General registration for non-members opens Saturday, April 22nd.
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Arboretum Tour:
Weetamoe
Wednesday May 31st
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Newport - $25
($20 with member discount)
The Newport Tree Conservancy welcomes you for a guided tour of the charming landscape at Weetamoe. Join Program Director Rachel Holbert for a tour of this beautiful 1-acre property. Its lovingly crafted gardens and landscaping are a testament to the owner’s goal of ensuring this arboretum is a haven for people and pollinators alike. Explore the “Quarter-Acre Woods” and duck pond, bordered by oaks, katsuras, maples, hornbeams, and more. Other points of interest on the property include gorgeous flowering trees including a towering Japanese Stewartia, native Sweetbay Magnolia, and Franklin Tree.
Address and parking instructions will be provided to registrants in their email confirmation. General registration for non-members opens Saturday, April 22nd.
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Remember to visit Bike Newport for bike rental information when choosing environmentally friendly means of transport to and from events.
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