The City of Kingston is tracking progress toward its goal of planting 1,000 trees by 2030, part of an effort to improve the city's streets, parks and open spaces.

A new tree counter was installed to record the number of new trees planted in the city as part of the city's Open Space Plan, a statement from Mayor Steve Noble's office said Friday.

"Trees are increasingly vital to the well-being not just of humans, but of cities," Noble said in a statement. "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."

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 the state Department of Environmental Association's 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 Avenue, 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.

This year, the city stated, 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 will hire 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.

A sugar maple tree will be planted at George Washington Elementary School in April as part of the Kingston Memorial Tree Fund. The city's tree counter can be found online at https://engagekingston.com/tree-counter.