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Tree giveaway, Arbor Day plans on hold as Kingston waits for grant-administration guidance; city again named Tree City USA
Summary
Kingston staff said Arbor Day plantings and the spring tree giveaway are paused pending clarification from grant administrators about allowable expenses; staff also reported the city received its 29th Tree City USA designation and a growth award.
City staff told the Kingston Tree Commission that Arbor Day plantings and a planned spring free-tree giveaway are being held pending clarifying guidance from the administrators of federal and state grants that fund the city’s tree programs.
Suzanne Haigh Hill said the city has several grants related to tree work — including awards that came through the USDA and the Department of Environmental Conservation and funds tied to the Inflation Reduction Act — and that the grant-administration offices have asked awardees to use caution while the agencies clarify allowable expenses. Hill said she has requested specific guidance from the grant administrators because the grants also support her position and planned spring projects.
As a fallback, Hill said, the city could hold tree-giveaway activities at the Kingston Earth Fair if grant restrictions prevent a city-funded Arbor Day giveaway; she noted that if trees given away are paid for with the grant funds, distribution must follow the grant’s residency and geographic rules. Commission members discussed sponsorships and corporate partners as alternate funding sources but noted that many corporate programs look for a 501(c)(3) partner for tax-deductible donations; the commission is not itself a registered nonprofit.
On a related note, the commission was told Kingston was awarded Tree City USA recognition again and received the program’s growth award; staff said this marks the 29th year of Tree City USA recognition for the city and that the urban-forester position helped the city qualify for the growth award this year.
Commissioners agreed to continue outreach to vendors and tree-service operators (an annual mailing is planned) and to coordinate school-based Arbor Day plantings — staff said they will follow up with a high-school science teacher planning student involvement and a memorial pond project at the school’s site.
