Providence Neighborhood Planting Program

SAVE THE DATES: It’s almost planting time! 🪏

We’ve been busy coordinating with tree leaders, responding to resident requests, coordinating with Dig Safe and our landscaping partner to prep tree pits, and visiting sites to select the right species of tree for each location.

All of this work will culminate in three big planting days this fall, in locations across the city:
💚October 17
💚October 24
🎃October 31

Mark your calendars now, because we’ll be looking for your help to get nearly 300 trees planted in their new forever homes. Keep an eye out here for the detailed schedule and volunteer sign-up links– we’ll share them in the coming weeks.

(One more way to get involved: Join us and for a Care for the Square day on October 3rd! Check out their page or follow the link in our bio for more information!)

Looking forward to growing our urban canopy with you! 🌳🌱

Take a peek at our “Sapling Stewards” distributed community nursery project! 🌱🌱🌱 Community groups around the city have been tending batches of young tree seedlings, growing them until they’re ready for permanent homes out in the urban forest. Huge thanks to all the stewards for their young tree nurturing, and to Bloom RI for making it possible!

Thanks to and the MANY other partners working with us on this project!

Reporting back from our TreeLC day earlier in August-- this great group of volunteers worked with us to install temporary bollards around young trees on Messer St in the West End.

New trees face a lot, but one of the biggest threats along busy streets like this one is damage from cars. These low-cost bollards will prevent cars from pulling up onto the sidewalk and damaging these trees before they've had a chance to get established.

Thanks to everyone who came out! Taking care of trees is a year-round endeavor, so keep your eyes peeled for other ways to help out. 💚

Alongside the fun of the beach and summer vacation, so far this season we've experienced record-breaking heat, localized flooding, and drought conditions across much of the state.

Borne out of this increasingly extreme weather, a conversation about trees as climate resilience infrastructure has begun to flourish. In this summer's newsletter, we're taking a look at some of the climate resiliency benefits that trees can provide, and how some of our work as tree stewards is changing with the changing climate.

Check out the full newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/1e309a799191/climateresilienceintheurbanforest

We had a lovely (if a little warm!) day gathering with Providence Community Tree Keepers last week to do some pruning around Sackett Street School in Elmwood.

Providence Community Tree Keepers (PCTKs) are residents who have completed a training with us and are certified to prune street trees. Structural pruning of young trees helps them withstand environmental stressors throughout their lives, while regular pruning along sidewalks and right-of-ways helps prevent damage to trees and keeps our sidewalks accessible and safe.

Interested in becoming a PCTK? In partnership with we'll be holding a bilingual (English and Spanish) training for new tree keepers in late August! Head to pnpp.org/stewardship/pvdtreekeepers to learn more and fill out a program application.

What a difference the shade of a tree can make! 🌳

Earlier this summer, Providence set a record for the highest temperature ever recorded in the city on that date. (More about that at pvdeye.org/july-2026-heatwave)

As these dangerously hot days become more common in Rhode Island, it's important to remember that the heat isn't felt equally. Neighborhoods with less tree canopy and more pavement can experience heat index temperatures up to 10 degrees hotter than the city's greener, wealthier neighborhoods on the East Side.

Yesterday, we visited the playground at Feinstein Elementary at Sackett Street on the South Side to check out the surface temperatures in their playground. Children, along with older adults, are especially vulnerable to heat-related illness, making shade at places like schools and playgrounds incredibly important.

Last year, we planted 29 new trees at the school. They’re still young, but as they mature they'll create a shadier, safer schoolyard for future Sackett St students!

Can you lend a hand for our August 13th "Tree"LC day in the West End?

Trees in the city have a lot to contend with, but one of the most frequent reasons that young street trees die is damage from cars. During this 'tree'LC day, we'll be installing wooden bollards around tree pits in the West End to protect them from vehicles.

🕔 Meeting time: We'll be working from 5pm-6:30pm.
📍 Meeting Spot: Conlan Junior Memorial Park, at the intersection of Sorrento and Union Ave
🥾Bring: Water, closed toed shoes, and work gloves if you have them.
🌱Please register so we know who is coming! Head to www.pnpp.org/volunteer to RSVP or find the link in our bio.

A poem from one of our tree-loving poet heroes, Ross Gay. Last week marked 12 years since Eric Garner's death.

Published in 2015 in Split This Rock's The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database. https://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database/poem/a-small-needful-fact

With Spring planting season in the rearview mirror, we shift some of our focus to helping people learn how to take care of all those trees we plant, to make sure they grow up to be the healthy and structurally sound mature trees that do so much to make us all cooler, healthier, and happier!

We’ve had had a blast the last few weeks leading trainings in the basics of urban & community forestry, young tree maintenance, and structural pruning with Groundwork Rhode Island’s Green Team, GWRI and Southside Community Land Trust’s Youth Change Makers, and Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council’s Arboleros!

Another planting day in the books! This past Saturday, we focused on the West End and Broad Street in partnership with . The rain held off until we were done, and then gently showered the new trees to help them get established. 🌧️

Thanks to and Canopy Crew for your help!

Want to get in on the planting fun? You have one last chance for the season! This upcoming Saturday, we'll be planting in the Blackstone and Mt Hope neighborhoods, and then helping with planting their super exciting microforest at Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex (JSEC) on the South Side.

👉 www.pnpp.org/volunteer to find out more and sign up as a volunteer!