By Cheryl Dunson
A family member recently visited us from Hawaii. Toward the end of her weeklong stay, she commented about how she was trying to burn into her memory the beautiful wooded landscapes which are very different from where she lives. She noted that there are trees and shrubs in Hawaii but not at the scale and variety that we have in Greenwich. It made me realize again how fortunate we are to have such a lovely leafy canopy throughout our town.
Our trees provide so many benefits to our community such as helping to clean the air, filter the water, reduce flooding, provide homes for variety of wildlife, provide shade (particularly noteworthy in our parking lots in summer!) enhance real estate values, improve our mental health and add beauty. And while these are benefits that we all enjoy, some Greenwich residents have deep connections to certain trees:
“Our copper beech looks like it’s been watching over our home since at least 1924, when the house was built. Announcing itself in purple and green in the spring, spectacularly blazing red long after most leaves have dropped in the fall …. We are now nurturing 3 of its offspring that we hope to transplant someday to our last-chapter home and the homes of our two sons…”
“I call it our ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ tree because it is so huge that a huge tree house could be built on its branches! Its trunk measures 18 feet around! Less than 1 year ago, we bought this property and the copper beech was a big factor in our decision. It is a gorgeous tree in all seasons!”
“Planted approximately 65 years ago, purchased by my mother and planted by her brother a few years before I was born, this tree has become more than just part of the landscape… It is a living piece of our family history, rooted in the soil of a property that has been in our family since the early 1930s. My grandparents, immigrants from Poland who came to America in the early 1900s, purchased this land in hopes of building a better life. They succeeded — not just in building a home, but in creating a place where family, faith, and beauty would flourish for generations.”
These heartwarming stories are among those we have heard from residents each October at our Treasured Trees celebration at Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses. We learn about them from winning submissions to our Treasured Trees Contest which is now open through August 1, 2026: https://greenwichtreeconservancy.org/Treasured-Trees-2026/
This contest is easy! Tell us about the tree you treasure and why. The tree can be located on your property or someone else’s as long as you have their permission to submit. As you see from our past winners’ stories, a tree can be loved because of the tree’s special history, a family memory or story or its size and shape.
To recognize these private property trees and their owners, GTC installs a nameplate on or near winning trees which identifies their scientific and common names. At the festive reception at Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses winners are also awarded framed photographs of themselves and their tree. This year the reception will be held on October 22, 2026.
For more information about the Treasured Tree Contest and other Greenwich Tree Conservancy programs, visit us at www.greenwichtreeconservancy.org. The deadline for Treasured Tree submissions is August 1, 2026. We look forward to hearing the story of your special Greenwich tree!
Cheryl Dunson, Advisory Board Co-Chair, Greenwich Tree Conservancy
