Root For Trees

Root for Trees is an experiential, educational program that runs throughout the year, meeting regularly with local students with a curriculum that teaches tree and plant care, focused on the urban park setting of Downing Park, the historic and final design created by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in Newburgh, New York. 

In their very last project together (1894-1897), Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed Downing Park as a tribute to their friend and mentor, Newburgh native, Andrew Jackson Downing. Its 35 acres are filled with hills, sweeping meadows, streams, a pond, serpentine pathways, a wide variety of plants and trees, and today, a two-acre urban farm. 

The Garden Club of Orange and Dutchess Counties (GCODC) is currently partnered with The City of Newburgh, The Downing Park Planning Committee. The Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative (NUFFI), San Miguel Academy, and just last month, GCODC obtained a commitment to partner with NFA West of The Newburgh Enlarged City School District.