NEW YORK STATE — Are you a streamside landowner? Want to help with the ecology of the stream? If so, you might be eligible to apply for the Trees for Tribs’ Buffer in a Bag program.

Qualifying private and public landowners can apply for a free bag of 25 tree and shrub seedlings for planting near streams, rivers or lakes to help stabilize banks, protect water quality, combat climate change, and improve wildlife habitat.

“Small-scale streamside plantings help decrease erosion, slow floodwaters, sequester carbon, and protect fish and wildlife habitat,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) commissioner Basil Seggos. “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.”

To qualify, landowners must have property in New York State 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. Applicants 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.

Seedlings are provided by the 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 www.dec.ny.gov for more information about the Buffer in a Bag application process and requirements. Applications are due by 3 p.m. on Friday, April 7. Email treesfortribs@dec.ny.gov with questions, and visit www.dec.ny.gov/animals/77710.html to learn more.