Trees are magic. In Newport, volunteers are working to expand their
healthy reach
[April 27, 2026]
By JENNIFER McDERMOTT and JOSHUA A. BICKEL
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — On Newport's south side, historic and opulent
mansions sit on an avenue with mature trees that help cool the
neighborhoods, clean the air and foster wildlife. On the city's poorer
North End, where some streets are dotted with subsidized housing, big
trees are a lot fewer and far between.
“People in this neighborhood aren’t receiving the benefits of trees,”
said Natasha Harrison, executive director of the Newport Tree
Conservancy. “They need more.”
The conservancy has planted hundreds of native trees to create a
healthier forest in a 30-acre city-owned park, Miantonomi Memorial Park.
Fifteen volunteers met staff from the conservancy at the park in the
northern part of the city on Wednesday for Earth Day.
Many native trees in the park’s forest have been crowded out by invasive
plants, killed by disease or eaten by deer, rabbits and squirrels. This
year, for the first time, the conservancy wanted to dig up native
seedlings to nurture the trees in their nursery and replant them in the
forest to better their chances of survival.
The conservancy's goal is to grow the tree canopy in the area and raise
its low “tree equity score.” The score is a measure of whether there are
enough trees in a neighborhood for people to experience the health,
economic and climate benefits trees provide.
The conservancy's work was supposed to be aided by federal funding the
U.S. Forest Service awarded to the Arbor Day Foundation, a global
nonprofit dedicated to tree planting and conservation, Harrison said. As
President Donald Trump's administration sought to end environmental
justice initiatives, the Forest Service terminated a $75 million grant
last year to the foundation, which was working to plant trees in
neighborhoods that might not otherwise be able to afford them.
Harrison said the conservancy expected to receive $150,000 from the
foundation. The conservancy's donors made up the difference after the
cancellation, and volunteers help the nonprofit to achieve its mission.
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Joe Verstandig, living collections manager at the Newport Tree
Conservancy, repots a native tree seedling Wednesday, April 22,
2026, in Newport, R.I. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
 “It was stressful, but I didn't want
to let it derail us,” Harrison said.
The conservancy has been partnering with the city
to plant trees throughout Newport for almost 40 years and improve
the tree canopy.
At Miantonomi Park, Joe Verstandig, the conservancy's living
collections manager, led the group into the forest. He pointed out
the invasive species they are working against, like the groves of
Aralia spinosa, commonly called devil’s walking stick, Norway maples
and Japanese knotweed. He showed them how to methodically dig up the
plants they wanted to save, such as the arrowwood that is common
throughout Rhode Island, elderberry and American holly.
The group included friends Allie Bujakowski and Mara Swist.
Bujakowski lives a mile from the park and walks her dog there. Swist
lives nearby in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. They both said they wanted
to get their hands dirty for Earth Day and help the conservancy,
which planted a tree in Bujakowski's front yard.
“They are getting trees in spaces in the community where we really
need them,” said Bujakowski, who wore a Newport mansions hat. “It
makes a big difference visually. I see the trees they planted two
years ago and they're bringing the birds back.”
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