Newton Tree Conservancy: Applications for Spring 2026 Planting are due December 7

Are there empty spaces on the berms — the stretch of grass between street and sidewalk — around your neighborhood, where street trees once provided shade and beauty? Would you like to work with your neighbors and the Newton Tree Conservancy (NTC) to plant new trees? The Newton Tree Conservancy is accepting applications until December 7 for its Spring Community planting on April 11, 2026.

Established in 2008, Newton Tree Conservancy is a non-profit climate organization with a goal of restoring, enhancing, and protecting Newton’s urban forest. Since its founding, donations from the community have enabled the NTC to plant over 2,600 trees (120 in both spring and fall, which is dependent on funding from supporters and other contributors). The organization plants its trees on berms, which are public property. Accordingly, the conservancy works closely with the City of Newton to verify that these tree plantings are in accordance with city guidelines. 

City Councilor Julia Malakie (Ward 3) co-founded the organization alongside Katherine Howard, who serves as one of the organization’s directors. At the time, the City was not able to adequately fund the planting of new trees and had not planted any for more than 20 years. “There was no money for planting or maintaining trees,” Malakie said. “The budget would go to tree removals done by contractors.” 

In response, the NTC began planting trees of its own. Originally, plantings were small-scale projects, only occurring during the spring. As the organization grew, the NTC was able to open fall applications and expand the amount of trees they could plant each year. “Our community tree planting program has been quite successful, and has been getting more and more attention as the years go on,” Howard said.

Since the NTC’s founding, the City has reinstated its tree-planting program. However, the waitlist to receive a tree from the City is long. “The NTC’s Community Tree Planting program is still a great way to speed up the process of greening neighborhoods,” Howard said.

For any Newton resident with a free space on their berm, the process to plant a tree through the conservancy is simple and opens up opportunities to socialize with neighbors. Groups of five or more neighbors identify the leader. Once the team is assembled, the leader gathers individual applications from each of the participants and submits them through the Conservancy’s website. If the application is approved, planting begins in the spring or fall. According to Councilor Malakie, NTC trees are dormant during these seasons, which is why they can only be planted then.

Homeowners in the recruited planting group each submit their own application, specifying the name of the planting group that the leader provided them. After the applications are approved, Planting Day will take place a few months later – in this case, next spring during the morning of April 11.

The trees, along with the watering bags provided, are free. Homeowners must be present to assist during the planting and commit to maintaining the trees by refilling their water bags once a week for two years.

Both Councilor Malakie and Howard agree that the tree planting process is an exciting opportunity for Newton residents to connect with others. “The NTC and the people in the [tree planting] groups have found it’s been a great way for others to get to know their neighbors,” Malakie said. Howard said that these connections can take many forms, with some neighbors hosting potlucks on planting days and others even planning celebrations for the trees’ birthdays. “Seeing the neighbors come together — often meeting other neighbors for the first time — is so much fun,” Howard said. “There is always cooperation and sharing involved, and neighbors have volunteered to water [the trees] if [the owner] is on vacation.”

Dan Finkelstein, an Auburndale resident since 2007, applied for the NTC’s fall 2025 planting and participated in the organization’s 2018 planting. Both times, Finkelstein was the leader for his neighborhood’s group. Since the 2018 planting, Finkelstein has seen his new trees grow significantly. The planting’s success inspired him to apply again. “When going down Melrose street — my neighborhood — you can see how big [the trees] are and how much shade they are providing,” he said. “It’s amazing to think that these will be here for the rest of my lifetime, and I’ll always remember that there was a time when I planted them.”

Jane Pipik, a resident of Newton since 1991, has experience participating in multiple past plantings. Although she does not plan to participate in future plantings, Pipik enjoyed her experience taking on the role of neighborhood leader in the past plantings. She especially loves helping neighbors plant new trees in front of their homes. “We need to keep Newton green,” she said. “By supporting the Newton Tree Department and the NTC, Newton will continue to be at the forefront of planting trees.”

Ed. Note: We have removed incorrect information about donors to the Newton Tree Conservancy.