Volunteers Nurture Native Trees in Newport's North End

In Newport, Rhode Island, volunteers gathered in the city's poorer North End on Earth Day to nurture native tree seedlings in Miantonomi Memorial Park, aiming to expand the urban tree canopy and address disparities in environmental benefits across neighborhoods.

The event, held Wednesday in the 30-acre city-owned park, drew 15 participants who worked with staff from the Newport Tree Conservancy to dig up young native plants threatened by invasive species, diseases, and wildlife. For the first time, the group focused on transplanting these seedlings to a nursery for protection before replanting them in the forest, boosting their survival rates. The conservancy, which has partnered with the city for nearly 40 years to plant trees throughout Newport, has already added hundreds of native species to the park to create a healthier ecosystem.

The initiative highlights a stark divide in the city: mature trees line the avenues of the affluent south side, providing cooling shade, cleaner air, and habitats for wildlife, while the North End, marked by subsidized housing, lacks similar coverage. "People in this neighborhood aren't receiving the benefits of trees," said Natasha Harrison,...