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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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/. 

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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.

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.