Residents of all ages are encouraged to attend an open house event on May 28th to learn about Westerly’s tree canopy coverage and help identify potential strategies for tree-planting actions they would like to see the town take to reduce flooding and extreme heat. The Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) is partnering with the Town of Westerly to host a public open house on trees and resilience on Wednesday, May 28th, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the Westerly Library Terrace Room on the 3rd floor (44 Broad Street, Westerly, RI 02891). A free tour of historic Wilcox Park will be led by Park Superintendent Alan Peck immediately following from 6:30-7:00 PM.
The open house marks the culmination of the town’s participation in the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Forest Environment (DFE) Urban Forests for Rhode Island Technical Assistance Program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act through the USDA Forest Service. GIC and DFE are partnering to support tree canopy mapping, planning, management, planting, policy development, and education in select Rhode Island municipalities. The Town of Westerly was selected through a competitive application process and began the work in September 2024 alongside local nonprofit partners, including the Southern RI Conservation District, Westerly Land Trust, and Westerly Library and Wilcox Park.
Westerly Tree Canopy Open House