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.

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

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.

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.