Free Seedlings Available For Streamside Plantings: DEC

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has opened the application period for qualified private and public landowners to get a free bag of tree and shrub seedlings.

The seedlings can be planted near streams, rivers or lakes to help stabilize banks, protect water quality, combat climate change and improve wildlife habitat.

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said that small-scale streamside plantings help decrease erosion, slow floodwaters, sequester carbon and protect fish and wildlife habitat.

“I encourage New York landowners with waterside properties to participate in DEC’s ‘Buffer in a Bag’ program to bolster the state’s efforts to protect water quality and help safeguard communities from flooding,” he said.

To quality, landowners must have property in New York with at least 50 feet bordering a stream, river or lake and provide photos or a map of the planting location.

Previous recipients are encouraged to reapply to continue to build riparian buffers.

Applicant are eligible for one bag of 25 seedlings and recipients are chosen on a first-come, first-served basis.

A total of 350 bags will be available statewide for this round of applications.

Landowners in the Hudson River Estuary watershed may be eligible for additional assistance with streamside planting projects. For details, visit the Hudson River Estuary Program website.

Seedlings are provided by DEC's Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery. The Trees for Tribs program is managed by DEC's Division of Lands and Forests and supported by the State's Environmental Protection Fund.

Visit DEC's website for more information about the Buffer in a Bag application process and requirements. Applications are due by 3 p.m. April 7. Email with questions, and visit DEC's Trees for Tribs webpage to learn more.