Kingston has received its largest tree grant in City history in the form of a $1,608,947 grant 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.

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

The City of Kingston has been a Tree City USA for 29 years. Mayor Steve 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.

“As we know, healthy trees can be a stimulus to spiking economic development, attracting businesses, and boosting tourism in a community,” Noble said. “I look forward to working with our Urban Forester and the Tree Commission to adding to our growing tree count.”