Parks Forest Restoration

With funding from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Community Reforestation (CoRe) grant program, the City of Kingston will re-establish healthy forests by planting thousands of trees in four public parks: Forsyth Park, Hasbrouck Park, Kingman Park, and Kingston Point Park.

In April 2025, the City of Kingston has received $1,608,947 from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for this reforestation effort.

Trees in urban areas help reduce high temperatures created by the urban heat island effect. CoRe-funded projects are predominantly located in communities with high heat vulnerability. Studies show that forested natural areas be as much as 14 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than surrounding areas. This cooler air is naturally released into the warmer surrounding areas, especially at night, which helps mitigate Urban Heat Island Effects.

The DEC administers the new CoRe grant program, which supports the State’s efforts to plant 25 million trees by 2033. Read the full announcement here.