By Cheryl Dunson
As trees in Greenwich awaken from their winter slumber, it’s hard not to remark on their dazzling display. The many cherry and magnolia trees are in bloom. The small, tightly wound leaves of our birches and maples are starting to make their appearance. The dappled shadows cast by our mighty canopy trees such oaks and sycamore are soon to follow.
Adding seasonal beauty to our community is only one of the benefits. Our trees provide many others: offering protection from the heat and cold, purifying our air and water, reducing flooding, softening traffic noise and the visual impacts of urban backgrounds, and providing food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. Adding to these benefits, the National Arbor Day Foundation has estimated that well-tended trees can increase property values by up to 15 percent.
Is it any wonder that the Greenwich Tree Conservancy has a variety of ways for residents to join us in celebrating trees throughout the year?
The Awesome Tree Contest is held periodically, open to all, and the categories vary with each contest. In past years, we have asked residents to identify their favorite tree on public or private lands in categories such as best climbing tree or the best treehouse tree. This year we are asking residents to submit tree-inspired photographs, artwork, and poems in the following categories: Spring Flair, A Walk Amongst Trees, All in the Details & An Ode to a Tree. Winning submissions can come from adults and children, families and individuals, in all parts of town from Byram to Old Greenwich, from downtown to back-country. This year’s Awesome Tree Contest deadline is May 18 with the awards celebration being held on June 8th. Inspired by an Awesome Tree? Enter the contest: https://greenwichtreeconservancy.org/2025-awesome-trees-contest/
Our Treasured Trees program is an annual event which invites residents to nominate a “treasured tree” on their property which is loved because of the tree’s special history, a family memory or story or its size and shape. This program seeks to raise awareness of special trees on private lands and to inspire current and future residents to protect their trees. To recognize and celebrate these private property trees, GTC installs a nameplate on the tree identifying the scientific and common name of the tree and a framed photograph of the nameplate installation is given to each family at a festive fall reception at Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses. At past receptions, families have described in loving terms why they treasure their trees, for example, the beautiful vista the tree provides in every season or fond memories of sitting in its shade at a grandparent’s house. Our Treasured Trees event will be open for submissions starting on June 9 with a deadline of July 18th. More Treasured Trees program info will be available on our website.
While the Awesome Tree Contest and the Treasured Trees Program are “Greenwich-grown” GTC events, there is a statewide program that we have resurrected in Greenwich – the Notable Tree program. Among the thousands of trees in town, there are exceptional trees which are notable because of their great size, unusual species or for their historic or social significance.
In the 1980s, the Connecticut College Arboretum established the statewide Notable Tree program, surveying all 169 towns across Connecticut. The program identified over 100 notable trees on public and private lands in Greenwich (http://oak.conncoll.edu:8080/notabletrees/) Until recently, the current status of many of the listed trees was unknown. Since 2023, the Greenwich Tree Conservancy has submitted updates to the statewide Notable Tree Program on the status of the trees on the original list (e.g., alive, removed, size, etc.) and has begun to submit new trees for the Greenwich listing.
Greenwich’s Notable Trees include Oaks, Horse Chestnuts, American Sycamores, London Planetrees and Japanese Zelkovas. Among those we have verified or newly submitted, Greenwich has 30 champions and 11 co-champions! If you have a tree on your property that you believe may be notable for its size, species or historic significance, you may contact us at: arboretum@greenwichtreeconservancy.com.
These special programs are in addition to our many ongoing programs such as “Fit in the Forest,” guided park walks, our “Tree Doctors” talks, our flower-filled Arbor Day Tree Party at McArdle’s Greenhouse and our ongoing tree plantings numbering over 6000 trees in all parts of town since our inception in 2007. To find out about these programs and more, visit us at: www. greenwichtreeconservancy.org. We hope you will join us!
Cheryl Dunson
Advisory Board Co-chair, Greenwich Tree Conservancy
To find out more about the Greenwich Tree Conservancy, visit us at: www.greenwichtreeconservancy.org
