Trees: Protection and Propagation
Rooted in history. Growing for the future.
Trees are amazing. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen through photosynthesis, helping regulate the atmosphere. Their root systems stabilize soil, filter groundwater, and reduce erosion and flooding, while their canopies provide shade, cool surrounding areas, and offer habitat and food for countless species of birds, insects, and mammals. Beyond the ecological role, trees also support human wellbeing — improving air quality, reducing stress, and often carrying deep cultural or historical significance.
Here at the foundation we believe trees hold the town's history, and will also shape its future. Our programs work with in the community to protecting the oldest, most significant trees which have been growing in Rye centuries, and also helping to propagate the next generation that will carry the city forward for the centuries to come.
Plant a Legacy. Grow Rye’s Future.
Our Acorns to Oaks program is an early partnership with the community dating back to 2010. In the fall of 2024, we reinvigorated the initiative by collecting acorns from some of Rye’s oldest and most beloved oak trees. These acorns were sewed in the fall 2024 and the spring of 2025 in specially constructed air pruning beds located at Rye Nature Center, School of the Holy Child, and Rye Country Day School. We we branded the program to Acorns to Oak 250 or just Oak 250 to coincide with the Country’s 250 Anniversary. By July 4, 2026 we beat our goal by planting more than250 saplings. To see a map of it, go to the link here.
Would you like to adopt a Rye 250 Oak Sapling? Fill in a form here.
Do you have any questions or inquires about the program? Email us at trees@ryestustainability
Would you like to donate?
Rye’s Tree Preservation Initiative.
Reviving the BICENTENNIAL TREE PROGRAM
Local historian Paul Hicks has long championed the preservation of Rye's oldest trees. In a 2023 Rye Record column, he pointed to community efforts like the saving of the 500-year-old Bedford Oak as a model for what Rye's own historic trees deserve. Two years later, Paul launched the RR250 Preservation Tree Initiative, an effort by the Revolutionary Rye 250 Committee to identify trees qualifying for Rye's Registry ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary. RR250 Rye's Historic Trees, is a revival of Rye's Bicentennial Tree program from 1976 in time for the nation's 250th anniversary. Together with artist/photographer Jim Frank, Paul has documented many historic trees.
A Map of these trees and the work by Paul and Jim can be found here.
Partnering Organizations
Organized in collaboration with Friends of Rye Nature Center, the Little Garden Club of Rye, Rye Garden Club and the Rye Sustainability Committee, the program is proudly sponsored by the Rye Sustainability Foundation. It is also aligned with the Revolutionary 250 Rye, a Rye Historical Society initiative commemorating the city’s role in the American Revolution.
