Street Trees in Coastal Connecticut
How Four Communities are Preserving Nature and Protecting Against Climate Change
Editor’s Note: We are delighted to have Vermont-based writer and Nature-centered storyteller Nadine Canter sharing stories of four Connecticut communities whose volunteers and leaders are rooting themselves in the work of planting and protecting street trees. Their local actions remind us that caring for trees is caring for each other—and for our collective resilience. We hope this story inspires you to see the trees in your own neighborhood as vital allies for a healthier, greener future. – Marissa Latshaw
The poet Gary Snyder is quoted as saying, “Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.” Snyder’s sentiment aptly describes four communities along the Connecticut shoreline whose residents are making more space for Nature in their hometowns. Volunteers in the City of New London, as well as the Towns of Essex, Madison, and Old Saybrook, are at various stages of increasing the number and resilience of trees. They all share a common goal: strengthen the health and wellbeing of their human communities by cultivating and caring for “tree communities” in response to the climate change, public health, and biodiversity crises. Due to their coastal locations, these communities are all at high risk from rising seas; thus, more trees can make a difference alongside other adaptive responses to climate change. Each of these communities has come together to protect, maintain, and increase the number of municipal trees, commonly referred to as street trees, and to support trees and shrubs in parks and at private homes.
As each community’s tree conservation work becomes more visible, additional resources and partnerships have emerged—with the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), local community foundations, land trusts, garden clubs, and schools. In addition, the statewide initiative Sustainable Connecticut is also offering resources to support this work.
“Volunteers in the City of New London, as well as the Towns of Essex, Madison, and Old Saybrook, are at various stages of increasing the number and resilience of trees. They all share a common goal: strengthen the health and wellbeing of their human communities by cultivating and caring for “tree communities” in response to the climate change, public health, and biodiversity crises.”
There is a metric for that. American Forest’s Tree Equity Score establishes an equity-first standard to guide investment in low-income communities, communities of color, and all those disproportionately affected by extreme heat, pollution, and other environmental hazards. These scores are a composite determined at the census tract scale within a town or city. When comparing cities and towns, the more urban a community—the larger and denser the human population—the smaller the tree population. This website tool shows how the critical benefits of tree canopies help communities and allow potential partners and funders to see who is most in need, and where.
Map of the Connecticut shoreline, color-coded for Tree Equity Score. Image courtesy of American Forests/Tree Equity Score
One City + Three Towns = Four Approaches. As in most conservation efforts, it takes a village, or in this case, a network of caring humans, to increase and conserve trees and tree canopies. Those leading the way for this community-based work are motivated for many reasons. Residents of Madison were inspired by tree conservation in New London. Madison’s efforts then inspired Old Saybrook. Each of these communities envies the tree inventory the Town of Essex has been maintaining for 35 years. Below we look at each town’s Tree Equity Score and its distinctive approaches to conserving trees in its community.
Bob Kuchta, co-founder of Madison’s Mad for Trees, planting trees with children in the community. Photo courtesy of Mad for Trees
New London. Tree equity score: 68/100. Since 2020, the nonprofit New London Trees has conducted most of the city’s tree conservation in coordination with the Department of Public Works, and with support from other nonprofits, businesses, and residents. Their mission is to “increase New London’s tree population through community planting and care, education, and advocacy.” Their work includes advocating for “tree-lined streets and for healthy tree canopies on school grounds and in parks, and other public spaces.” New London has an urban character as well as a diverse human population. Trees are vital to the overall health and well-being of the community given the density of housing and urban neighborhoods. New London Trees helps the city and private landowners provide healthy spaces and access to those who may not have the time or resources to protect and enjoy Nature. The City of New London has a municipal tree committee whose primary purpose is to oversee the street tree inventory.
Maggie Redfern of New London Trees, also Director of the Connecticut College Arboretum, shares a story about plans for a new sidewalk that involved removing all of the existing trees. She and other tree advocates asked, “Where are the street trees in the plan, and what will they be?” Because they spoke up, the community took notice. Working with the city, they were able to save one of the city’s mature trees and are working with individuals to plant on private property in support of this sidewalk project.
“The abundance of trees and tree canopies is a feature of a healthy community.”
Redfern offers free tree walks in the city and has been helping New London Trees to advocate with the city departments. With support of grant funding, the city was recently able to hire an urban forest coordinator who will lead an initiative to plant 100 trees during the next 2 years. “This work is from the roots up and there is little else we can do that increases the value of the health and wellbeing of the community more than planting trees. A $100 investment now has a great impact,” Maggie said. “Municipalities should be taking responsibility for growing and maintaining urban forests especially in areas that are impacted by poverty. Trees prevent heat islands, provide shade, and absorb stormwater—thousands of trees are needed to impact the health of a city environment.”
Essex. Tree Equity Score: 95/100. Just north of Old Saybrook on the Connecticut River, the Town of Essex has a 35-year-old Tree Committee established by town ordinance “to inventory, preserve, and replace the priceless resource of street trees.” The committee is currently chaired by the town’s half-time Tree Warden, Augie Pampel, and has six members appointed by the Board of Selectmen. The funding for plantings comes from the town, grants, and private donations. The Tree Committee partners with many community organizations and town offices such as Public Works and Park and Recreation. Unlike New London and the other towns featured here, Essex doesn’t have a citizen group or organization specifically advocating for trees in town. The town Tree Committee relies on feedback from residents and its extensive tree inventory to inform their priorities.
According to Pampel, the citizens of Essex are the eyes on the ground protecting the nonhuman citizens. “They are proud of their trees,” he said. The Tree Committee work is tied directly into town politics as well as the town’s Public Works Department. The Tree Committee does not oversee trees in the town’s parks or on private property.
“This work is from the roots up and there is little else we can do that increases the value of the health and wellbeing of the community more than planting trees.”
Madison. Tree equity score: 91/100. Mad for Trees, a volunteer-driven organization, was co-founded in 2021 by Fran Brady, a retired chemist, and naturalist Bob Kuchta, former Madison Tree Warden and Inland Wetlands Enforcement Officer. They were inspired to establish Mad for Trees in part by Maggie Redfern’s work with New London Trees. Fran and Bob rely fully on volunteers and partners, including the Madison Historical Society, as well as the local community foundation, the town, and the schools. Their work is focused “on making Madison a more sustainable place, [hoping] to slow down the reduction in the town’s tree canopy that has taken place over the last decade due to clear cutting, invasive pests, drought, and storms.” Their founding mission is to “support the planting of 200 native trees across Madison by May 2026, the 200th anniversary of its incorporation.” They reached that goal in the spring of 2023 and immediately raised the goal to 1,000 native trees and shrubs. Their work is especially important in representing local community voices, as Madison has no tree committee to work with the town’s Tree Warden.
Map showing the broad coverage and diversity of the Mad for Trees program. Many of the icons represent multiple trees in one location. Mad for Trees has distributed 794 native trees and shrubs over the last 3.5 years. Image courtesy of Mad for Trees
Brady tells this story: “I was running an errand (a few years ago) at a local grocery store and stopped at a table of high school kids raising money as part of the school’s Eco Club. I asked them what they were up to, they said ‘we are raising money to support Mad for Trees.’ I was moved to tears at that moment. I still am. We were newly formed and that acknowledgement and support for trees in our community meant everything. It still does.”
Mad for Trees educates the community on the symbiotic relationships of trees. Their presentations include this graphic to show the important role trees play in the local ecosystems and beyond. Image courtesy of Mad for Trees
Old Saybrook. Tree Equity Score: 81/100. Save Our Shade (SOS), a volunteer-led tree advocacy group, was established in 2023, inspired by Mad for Trees. The SOS group formed when residents noticed disfigured trees on scenic roads in the town and sought to learn how and why that had happened. They discovered that no one was watching out for the town trees, and they got to work. As a result of the formation of SOS, the town reconvened its Tree Committee. Three SOS committee members are also on the five-member Town Tree Committee, as is the town’s Tree Warden.
The mission of SOS is to “preserve and build Old Saybrook’s tree canopy.” SOS advocates for trees on public streets in town, and has begun raising money to give trees to residents with the goal of increasing tree canopies on private property. The Tree Committee was recently awarded a grant from the Connecticut DEEP to conduct a tree inventory. The results will help SOS prioritize their efforts in giving trees to residents. They have also partnered with the Community Foundation of Middlesex, resulting in additional funding to actualize their mission.
“Trees are taken for granted. SOS sees them as allies and a defense against climate change,” said Carolyn Lyle, Old Saybrook resident and a founder of SOS. “There is an environmental justice component to the size of tree canopies. The abundance of trees and tree canopies is a feature of a healthy community. The lack of trees and shade, especially in more urban areas, has a negative social and health impact, not to mention that it weakens our resilience as the seas rise.”
An Old Saybrook resident happily picks up a free tree from a recent tree giveaway program hosted by Save Our Shade volunteers. Photo courtesy of Save Our Shade
Connecticut tree conservation in context. Trees in community settings are often not on conservation land, but efforts to increase tree populations and canopies create a pathway to connecting communities with Nature and to advancing support for other more permanent conservation efforts. As a state, Connecticut protects 0.8 percent of its land as Wildlands according to the 2023 Wildlands in New England report, and most of these acres have weak, or impermanent, protections. The report recommends that 10 percent or more of all lands within New England be protected as Wildland. Wildlands are considered vital and essential for Nature and society—they protect wildlife and biodiversity; they sequester and store carbon to mitigate climate change; they offer places for quiet contemplation; and they may serve as important research sites. Street trees, and their many benefits, are a visible reminder of our connection with the natural world and can lead to greater support of Wildlands and other conservation land.
Nature is Home. Volunteers in these four Connecticut communities know in their hearts that “trees are home” and are spreading their roots and building networks that “speak for the trees,” as the Lorax says. According to Brady, “That is the kind of community we have here. People care about trees, they care about their community, and they understand how important it is to protect the natural world during these times.”
“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”
Nadine Canter is a writer, lecturer, and network builder. Her inquiries are rooted in the mysteries of presencing, unity, and holism to re-weave the Earth story. She is located in Vermont, where she serves as an advisor and mentor, a Tai Chi Chuan and Daoism student, and a Lecturer at Middlebury College. Her mission is to create and support webs of communication and resource sharing to nourish human and nonhuman mycelial networks.