The Newport Tree Conservancy, in celebration of Newport Arboretum Week and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day is developing a collection of materials to help people get outside and safely enjoy our city’s urban forest as it shows off its spring colors.
Celebrating Trees
Since the founding of the Newport Arboretum—New England’s first city-wide arboretum—in 2011, the Newport Tree Conservancy has celebrated Newport Arboretum Week every spring during the week marking Earth Day & Arbor Day. This year, in response to social distancing guidelines, the Tree Conservancy is creating a series of self-guided and at-home activities in place of Arboretum Week’s usual tree walks, lectures and events.
This spring is certainly not going the way we planned, but undeterred, spring is here! Newport’s Trees are breaking dormancy and blooming and we at the Tree Conservancy have been hard at work putting together a number of ways to explore Newport’s city-wide arboretum while maintaining a safe distance from one another. Those interested in exploring Newport’s urban forest can find activities for free at the Tree Conservancy’s website: NewportTreeConservancy.org/Newport-Arboretum-Week.
To celebrate Arbor day on April 23rd we recommend planting a tree. Resources are available on our website as well as a “How to Plant a Tree” video to be released on Earth day.
Newport Tree Walks
In 2011, after an exhaustive process of researching, cataloguing and mapping Newport’s public trees, the Newport Tree Conservancy earned accreditation from ArbNet designating the City of Newport the first citywide Arboretum in New England. Newport Arboretum Week was first created to celebrate this historic achievement and to invite tree-lovers and average citizens alike to explore Newport’s storied urban forest. This year, we are once again extending this invitation with an updated and expanded series of Newport Tree Walks. These pocket guides to Newport’s trees navigate neighborhoods and Morton Park with tree facts, and historic insights. Visit our website http://www.newporttreeconservancy.org/ to download these maps to use on your phone or print from home, and soon we’ll be offering foldable paper copies as well.
Share Your Spring Visions
In addition, if you, your kids, or your parents are starting to run low on indoor craft projects, check out our Newport “Our Favorite Trees” Coloring Series. Choose from several historic trees and relax into some coloring therapy. Available on our website for Earth Day. Make sure to send us your best work or tag us from your social media!