Tree Toga 2025 Volunteers Plant 40 Trees

By Caroline Rothaug, Sustainable Saratoga Programs Manager and Chair of the Urban Forestry Project

What’s your favorite way to celebrate Arbor Day?

Mine is spending a morning at Tree Toga. Where else can you meet great people, learn a useful skill, sing a song that will stick with you for way too long, and go home covered with mud? Oh, and do something great for the environment, wildlife, and your fellow humans by planting trees.

On April 26th, over 180 volunteers did just that. Individuals, families, friend groups and work colleagues gathered at Pitney Meadows Community Farm and learned how to plant a tree. Then, we went out and planted 40 trees along streets and in front yards all over Saratoga Springs.

Our incredible Tree Hosts gave the trees homes, and agreed to water them during the critical first seasons of growth. How do you get to be a Tree Toga Tree Host? Property owners in the city of Saratoga Springs can request a tree on our website, or just say YES when we knock on your door.

Some very special people put their hearts and souls into making this joyful community event happen every year: the Sustainable Saratoga Urban Forestry Project committee. Libby Brennesholtz, Margarita DeFedericis, Tom Denny, Rick Fenton, Bethany Khan, Kate Maynard, Tom McNamara, Alexandra Morgan, and Lin Whittle work tirelessly throughout the year to recruit Tree Hosts, figure out exactly where to plant the trees, and plan what’s going to happen on the day. Except the weather. Trees love the rain, but tree planters might prefer it a bit dryer next year.

Tree Toga wouldn’t be the same without our partners

The City of Saratoga Springs, particularly the Department of Public Works, provides support and half of the funding for the trees. The other half of the funding comes from generous community donations to Sustainable Saratoga. We really appreciated Mayor John Safford, Commissioner Chuck Marshall and Deputy Tad Roemer rolling up their sleeves and helping out during the event.

Pitney Meadows Community Farm has been the ideal setting for our pre-planting gathering for the past four years.  Executive Director Brooke McConnell and her team are the perfect hosts.

Local businesses that helped make the day: Bread Basket Bakery provides refreshments for our volunteers, and Allerdice Hardware provides the stakes that stabilize our trees.

Finally, we are beyond grateful to this year’s Tree Toga financial sponsors: Rockefeller Capital Management, who also sends a team of volunteers to plant with us every year, and Stewart’s Shops.

PRESS RELEASE – For immediate release 3/18/25

Sustainable Saratoga CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS for 141th year of TREE TOGA event on Saturday, April 26, 2025

Media Contact: Beth Plummer; beth@sustainablesaratoga.org

Saratoga Springs, NY – On Saturday, April 26, 2025, Sustainable Saratoga’s Urban Forestry Project will hold its 141th year of the TREE TOGA planting event, adding an expected 40 large-growing shade trees to Saratoga’s urban forest.  

Volunteer Tree Planters are needed to help plant trees in the community. Volunteers will check in at Pitney Meadows Community Farm at between 9 – 9:30 AM on April 26 to get a lesson in tree planting before heading off in small teams to their assigned locations across the city. Once the trees are in the ground, Tree Host homeowners and other volunteers provide the care that is critical to tree growth and survival. This is a fun, family-friendly volunteer event, open to everyone in the capital region.

“Tree Toga is a crucial event for Sustainable Saratoga, helping us live our mission to preserve and expand Saratoga’s urban forest,” said Sustainable Saratoga Urban Forestry Project Chair Caroline Rothaug.  “We appreciate each and every volunteer who helps put small trees in the ground now so that future generations can enjoy tall, strong trees later. We are especially grateful to have the Saratoga Springs Department of Public Works and Pitney Meadows Community Farm as our partners. This year’s Tree Toga will bring the total number of trees planted in the past 11 years to over 440.”

To get involved in this family-friendly community event, sign up at 

https://sustainablesaratoga.org/projects/urban-forestry-project/tree-toga

Why plant trees? In addition to providing long lasting beauty, research shows that urban trees enhance retail and restaurant profitability, increase property values, save energy, improve air quality, reduce water pollution, enhance our mental and physical health, and provide wildlife habitat.

Spring is a great time to plant your own tree.  If you can’t join TREE TOGA in person, join in spirit by planting a tree in your own yard and sharing a picture on social media with the tag #NextGenTree. Sustainable Saratoga recommends planting a variety of trees native to our local area, as well as a few from the wider region that are adapted to our soils and climate and provide food and shelter for a variety of insects and wildlife. You can find a wealth of practical information on choosing, buying, planting and caring for trees at:  https://sustainablesaratoga.org/projects/urban-forestry-project/practical-info-for-tree-planting-care/. 

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Sustainable Saratoga is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources, through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area.  Since 2008, Sustainable Saratoga has been a leader in promoting awareness of environmental issues and what we as a local community can do to minimize our ecological impact while maintaining a high quality of life.

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Discover the vibrant world of Sustainable Saratoga’s committees, each dedicated to a unique aspect of community sustainability: Zero Waste, Urban Forestry, Land Use, Climate and Energy, and Pollinators. Whatever your passion, you’ll find a place to make a difference.

Let’s get to know the Urban Forestry Committee

by Caroline Rothaug, Chair of the Urban Forestry Project

UFP members preparing for Tree Toga

You’ve seen us around town, checking out potential planting sites, putting “New Tree Coming Soon…” signs and little white flags in the ground, planting trees, and pruning trees. We’re the Sustainable Saratoga committee known as the Urban Forestry Project (UFP).

We are best known for our annual Tree Toga event that brings more than 160 volunteers out on the last Saturday of April to plant trees to honor Arbor Day. 2024 marks the tenth year of Tree Toga. This year’s event will bring the total number of trees planted to over 400.

Tree Stewards ready to prune

We are busy all year long. We have a long-standing partnership with the Saratoga Springs DPW and the City Arborist. Our most recent collaboration is an agreement that allows trained UFP “Tree Stewards” to handle certain pruning tasks. So, if you see us out there pruning, please do say hello. We will be happy to take a moment to explain how and why we prune trees to be structurally sound and avoid future issues as they grow.

Another program we’re really proud of is our Tree Education pilot program with St. Clement’s School. Students learn about sustainability and the importance of trees in an urban setting. And, speaking of education, our UFP web pages have a wealth of information about the benefits of large-growing native trees in urban areas, and helpful tips for selecting, planting, and caring for trees.

We invite you to get into trees with us. Sign up to be a Tree Planter at Tree Toga this year, or get in touch with us at trees@sustainablesaratoga.org to learn more about getting involved in our work.

Tree Toga 2022 planting crew

Plant Trees with Sustainable Saratoga at TREE TOGA on Saturday, April 29 

Saratoga Springs, NY – On Saturday, April 29, 2022, Sustainable Saratoga’s Urban Forestry Project will hold its 12th TREE TOGA tree planting event. Kelsey Trudell, Executive Director of Sustainable Saratoga predicts: “This year’s Tree Toga is going to be a huge success, with 38 trees planted! We’re still looking for volunteers to plant large-growing, native shade trees at locations throughout the city. Join us on April 29th to help us leave a green legacy for future generations in Saratoga Springs.”  To get involved in this family-friendly community event, sign up at https://sustainablesaratoga.org/tree-toga/

Volunteer Tree Planters will check in at Pitney Meadows Community Farm at 9:30 AM on April 29 and get a lesson in tree planting before heading off in small teams to their assigned planting locations across the city. Once the trees are in the ground, the Tree Host homeowners and other volunteers provide the care that is critical to tree survival and the success of Sustainable Saratoga’s mission to preserve and expand Saratoga’s urban forest. 

Why plant trees? In addition to providing long lasting beauty, research shows that urban trees enhance retail and restaurant profitability, increase property values, save energy, improve air quality, reduce water pollution, enhance our mental and physical health, and provide wildlife habitat.

Spring is a great time to plant your own tree.  If you can’t join Tree Toga in person, join in spirit by planting a tree in your own yard and sharing a picture on social media with the tag #NextGenTree.  Sustainable Saratoga recommends planting a variety of trees native to our local area, as well as a few from the wider region that are adapted to our soils and climate and provide food and shelter for a variety of insects and wildlife. You can find a wealth of practical information on choosing, buying, planting and caring for trees at:  https://sustainablesaratoga.org/projects/urban-forestry-project/practical-info-for-tree-planting-care/. 

About Sustainable Saratoga

Sustainable Saratoga is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources, through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area. Since 2008, Sustainable Saratoga has been a leader in promoting awareness of environmental issues and what we as a local community can do to minimize our ecological impact while maintaining a high quality of life. 

Diversity is essential

A recent survey of Saratoga Springs’ street trees found that maples make up about 40% of the city’s street trees. This is a risky ratio: if a pest that targets maples comes along, nearly half of our tree canopy would be destroyed. We have seen this happen with Dutch elm disease, which decimated elm trees. Planting smaller quantities of many different species gives us a more resilient urban forest that will be less impacted by any single threat. Having a diverse urban forest also ensures that there is food and shelter for a wide variety of wildlife. Our Tree Toga plantings increase diversity by including trees you may not have heard of, such as Tulip tree, Swamp white oak, Kentucky coffee tree, Hackberry, and Basswood.

A commonly used rule of thumb suggests that municipal forests should comprise no more than 10% of any particular species, 20% of any one genus or 30% of any single family. Using Maple as an example, a city might aim for no more than: 10% Red maple (species), 20% genus acer (maple), 30% Sapindaceae family which includes horse chestnut and maple.

Northern Red Oak

Tulip Tree in fall color

Hackberry

Natives are key

Native trees are species that have evolved in our general area and are adapted to our climate so that they can handle the seasonal weather extremes. Native trees provide the best food and shelter for our local wildlife, including insects, birds, and small mammals. More than half of the trees identified in the 2012 tree inventory are species that are considered invasive today, including two cultivars of Norway Maple and Callery (Bradford) Pear. With our pollinators under threat, we focus on choosing trees that provide them with what they need to survive and thrive. See our Replace your invasives post for more information about the benefits of choosing natives.

Native species make up the bulk of our list of trees to plant. But our climate is changing. We are also looking at species that were previously only successful in areas south of here, and considering new trees that can now live safely in our environment. These new trees will also provide food and shelter for insects and other wildlife that are migrating northward with the warmer climate conditions.

Decisions, Decisions

We take several factors into consideration when we make our tree selection each year, including

• What is doing well: We check on the growth and health of trees planted in previous years. Species that have done well and are easy to manage in the urban environment make future years’ lists.
• What’s available: We check our suppliers’ stock lists in the fall to see what they will have available in the spring.
• What the City is planting: We check the City’s current list of trees, making sure we are maintaining diversity.
• What provides the best value for wildlife: We want to attract pollinators and other wildlife.

Our selections change over time. We have removed some trees from our list. Ginkgo, for instance, is a beautiful and beloved tree that we’ve planted in past years, but it doesn’t provide value to our local wildlife. We added 3 new species in 2022: Shagbark Hickory, Sweetgum and London Plane. We’ll be watching them carefully to see how they do in our urban forest.

You can play a part in keeping our urban forest growing and thriving

Go to our Tree Toga page to:

• Request a tree for your front yard for 2025 and become a Tree Toga Tree Host
• Sign up to join the Tree Toga planting team
• Sign up to be a tree caregiver and water newly planted trees through the summer

Plant your own tree in your yard. See our Practical Info for Tree Planting and Care for information.