History
2025 marks the 35th anniversary of ReTree Schenectady and over 3,000 trees planted. Pat Burkey, John Mishanec, and Barb Blanchard started the organization in 1990 with 7-gallon container-grown trees sold wholesale to residents. They were motivated by the loss of trees in Schenectady due to aging, disease, and injury, and the lack of municipal investment in planting and maintaining Schenectady’s trees. The group incorporated and gained 501(c)3 status in 1996 and moved on to planting larger bare-root and balled-and-burlapped trees. Over the years, we have won many grants for planting trees, enlisted 100s of volunteers, increased canopy cover in every neighborhood, worked collaboratively with the city, and provided advice to anyone interested in Schenectady’s trees.
In 2019, we consciously stepped back from organizing large neighborhood plantings to support tree planting in neighborhood and park projects planned by others, including Jaylen’s Park off of Eastern Avenue, the Carrie Street Park in the Goosehill neighborhood, and the Eastern Parkway median in the Upper Union Street neighborhood.
In 2022, the City of Schenectady completed the Community Forest Management Plan with a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The grant also funded an inventory of street and park trees, which is available online.
To address equity concerns, the city funded the Summer Tree Planting Collaborative from 2021 to 2024. The program involved youth, Community Fathers, Inc., ReTree Schenectady, and the Schenectady County Job Training Agency in planting over 300 trees in areas of the city with a low Tree Equity Score, primarily the Hamilton Hill, Mont Pleasant, and Vale neighborhoods. Tree Equity Score is a nationwide score that combines both tree canopy cover and demographic information to identify areas that need more trees.
In 2023 and 2025, the City of Schenectady contracted with a consulting arborist to provide professional support for implementation of the Community Forest Management Plan. ReTree Schenectady is working with the city on this effort, whose vision is to:
Create a healthy and sustainable community forest that is properly managed and cared for, benefiting all the citizens of Schenectady. The community forest will be thriving and resilient for future generations to ensure continued economic, environmental, and social benefits.