The Northport Native Garden Initiative (NNGI) is moving along with one of its most ambitious projects yet: the planting of hundreds of native trees across the Town of Huntington, made possible through a series of recent donations and partnerships.
NNGI, known for its work introducing native plants into residential landscapes through efforts like its annual spring sale and farmers market tables, has long aimed to increase native tree plantings as well. That effort became more attainable last year when the organization received a significant donation from the community group 100 Women of Huntington, earmarked specifically for planting native trees locally.
Using those funds, NNGI partnered with the Town of Huntington (TOH) to plant trees in several sites, including Whitman Park, the Gold Star Beach parking area and a Northport Village residential street where mature trees had recently been lost.
The momentum grew when the 1653 Foundation, a local environmental nonprofit, learned of the project and offered to match the donation. With that commitment in hand, NNGI then sought additional support from the Town’s Environmental Open Space and Park Fund (EOSPA), ultimately securing even more funding for local native tree plantings.
According to NNGI, the combined support will result in 237 native trees being planted this fall in 21 parks across Huntington. The plantings will include 17 species of native trees, including red maple, swamp white oak, red oak, honey locust, pitch pine, serviceberry, river birch, bald cypress and American elm.
Each tree will be installed with a water bag to support its first year of growth, with the town overseeing planting and maintenance.
Early work is already underway. NNGI noted that 28 new trees were recently added to William J. Byrne Memorial Park in East Northport, with more sites to follow.
Last week, a Town of Huntington Facebook post highlighted the impact of the collaboration, crediting NNGI and other local organizations for helping to expand the town’s native tree canopy.
“We are grateful for the generous support from the 1653 Foundation and 100 Women of Huntington, as well as the matching funds provided by the EOSPA committee. Their contributions made this project possible,” said Matt Gorman, NNGI co-founder who spearheaded this project alongside fellow NNGIers Nicole Tamaro, Sara Abbass and Barbara Bolen.
The group highlighted the contributions of TOH Senior Environmental Planner Christian Granelli, who assisted with selecting appropriate tree species and locations for planting.
“Since beginning our native plant journey, we’ve learned two essential lessons: a healthy ecosystem depends on diversity, and trees offer the greatest impact when it comes to creating habitat,” Gorman said. “This project reflects both of those priorities. By introducing a wide variety of trees into our community, we’re laying the foundation for long-term ecological health—and we hope this is only the start. Working alongside fellow nonprofits and the Town of Huntington, we aim to replicate projects like this every year.”
Don’t miss a story
Get the latest news delivered to your inbox.
Comments are closed.