NEWPORT — The public will have an opportunity in the coming two weeks to see the work being done by the people at the Heritage Tree Center, who are working on cultivating replacements for the incredible diversity of trees found in Newport. The trees will be available for purchase.
The center was established in 2017 by the Newport Conservancy, formerly called the Newport Tree Society, on the campus of Rogers High School. The center’s greenhouse for the propagation of trees is called the Newport Tree House.
“It’s a little gem to see what we are doing,” said Natasha Harrison, the Conservancy’s executive director.
Inside and outside the Tree House, hundreds of young trees are growing from seeds and cuttings from some of Newport’s most culturally significant trees, she said. By preserving the genetic lines of the area’s most venerable trees, the Conservancy hopes to ensure the character of Newport’s urban forest endures for generations to come.
The Newport Conservancy provides to city government all the trees that are planted in parks, along roadways, and on other public properties. The City Council does not have a line item in the city budget to purchase trees, so the nonprofit organization depends on grants, donations and fundraisers to continue this work.
The Conservancy has reached the goal of having more than 500 different species or varieties of trees planted and growing in accordance with an arboretum plan, which would make Newport a Level III arboretum.
