Five trees planted in celebration of Earth Day
Warwick. The trees were planted at Wickham Woodlands along the road surrounding Transformation Trails.
Warwick /
| 29 Apr 2024 | 12:15
A crowd of about 50 people gathered to celebrate and help plant five trees at Transformation Trails in Warwick. (
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The volunteers worked hard to plant the trees in celebration of Earth Day. (
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The trees can be found at Wickham Woodlands along the road surrounding Transformation Trails. (
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Each tree will also have a QR code nearby so folks can scan the code and learn more about the tree. (
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On Monday, April 22 a crowd of about 50 people from Green Thumb Industries, the Warwick Shade Tree Commission, Sustainable Warwick, Transformation Trails and AGRISCULPTURE gathered to plant five trees in honor of the 54th Earth Day.
The Earth Day event began with the creator of Transformation Trails — Amy Lewis Sweetman of AGRISCULPTURE — sharing the history of Earth Day along with the history of Transformation Trails within Wickham Woodlands of Warwick. The 750-acre property known today as Wickham Woodlands had once been Lenape land. In the 1700s it became farmland. From 1914 to 2011 it hosted a variety of low to mid-level security rehabilitation and prison entities such as the New York City Farm, the New York State School for Boys, and the Mid-Orange Correctional Facility. When New York State closed the Mid-Orange Correctional Facility in 2011, the 750 acres was sold to the town of Warwick, having 150 acres for development and allowing for 600 acres to remain natural. A very particular 10 acres, still surrounded by former prison fence about 20 feet tall, is the area that has recently become – and is still under construction – “Transformation Trails,” which includes Warwick’s arboretum with pollinator meadows, sculpture and history.
Four trees were sponsored by Green Thumb Industries: a katsura, a tupelo, a swamp white oak and a yellowwood tree. The fifth tree, a European beech, was sponsored by the Warwick Shade Tree Commission. The tree planting was led by Warwick tree commissioner Karen Emmerich, Warwick Shade Tree Commission members Connor Smith and Brenden Wagner, along with Sean Smyth and tree farm owner Kurt Emmerich.
Folks can now enjoy the trees at Wickham Woodlands along the road surrounding Transformation Trails and scan their tree tag QR codes to learn more.