For Earth Week, trees — planting them along the road, managing them as part of a forest

Waiting to unload trees from a flatbed truck for the Trees for Goshen project.

April 24, 2025—Was it E.F. Schumacher, author of the influential 1970s-era book Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as If People Mattered, who, when asked what is the most important thing one person can do to make a difference, answered, “Plant a tree”?

Tree planting and forest management are the subjects of the fourth day of our series of Earth Week stories about important local environmental initiatives in Connecticut. You can read the first three days’ stories on our blog, Natural Selections.

Trees for Goshen
Pamela Hicks, Goshen

As part of a community-driven effort to beautify the natural landscape, phase one of the Trees for Goshen initiative is officially underway. The project will introduce pollinating trees along North Street, one of Goshen’s four main corridors..

Thanks to the support of residents, local partners, and Sustainable CT, the campaign has met its fundraising goal. The trees arrived in time for Earth Day, with planting scheduled to take place on Arbor Day, Friday, April 25th, starting at 9 a.m., in the Town Hall area.

Phase One includes the planting of 11 trees, and it’s set to be a full-day event. Volunteers are welcome to join in.

We’re grateful for the involvement of local students. The event will be live-streamed into classrooms at Center School, so it’s not only a planting day but a learning experience for younger students. This promises to be a celebration of community, education, and sustainability.

This achievement would not have been possible without the vision and dedication of a small but passionate team, who worked tirelessly to bring this idea to life. Numerous local organizations also pitched in—digging holes ahead of time and donating essential supplies.

With community roots running deep and a shared vision for a greener future, Goshen is making something truly special bloom. Happy Arbor Day!

Pamela Hicks, a Goshen resident, is one of the organizers of Trees for Goshen

Red-eyed Vireos thrive in well-managed forests. Photo by Frank Mantlik.

Master Woodland Manager Program
Sarah Lilley, Milford

Connecticut has the distinction of being a heavily forested and heavily populated state, with the U.S. Forest Service identifying it as the state with the greatest percentage of wildland-urban interface (Radeloff et al., 2005, The wildland-urban interface in the United States). The state also has a long history with its trees and how they’ve been managed. Current issues in forest management include fragmentation due to development and encroaching invasive species. Managing Connecticut’s woodlands creates healthy ecosystems and ultimately impacts the health and wellbeing of the state’s residents.

The Master Woodland Manager program, managed by the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, is available to anyone in the state, and provides education on managing forests for invasive species, wildlife habitat, urban impacts, recreation, and logging. The educators are exemplary, and include state foresters, state forestry coordinators, municipal tree wardens, state biologists, scientists from the state Agricultural Experiment Station, and educators from UConn.

Each student is given the task to write a forest management plan, which is presented to the cohort as the year-long program wraps up. By providing high-caliber forestry education to enthusiastic members of the public, the program is creating a knowledgeable and dedicated group across the state who speak for the trees at a local level.

Sarah Lilley is a Connecticut Audubon member who lives in Milford.