Suffolk County Offers Free Seedlings, Tree Registry to Honor 2276 Legacy

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and County Clerk Vincent Puleo announced a new countywide tree-planting initiative on March 23 that links today's residents to a milestone 250 years away: the nation's 500th anniversary in 2276.

The program, called "Planting It Forward to 2276," is a component of Suffolk County's broader Suffolk 250 initiative, which launched in August 2025 to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. While most semiquincentennial efforts look back at American history, this one is aimed squarely at the future: a permanent Living Legacy Tree Registry, preserved in county archives, intended to be found by residents of Suffolk County generations from now.

Starting on Arbor Day, April 24, Suffolk County will distribute 2,500 free red oak seedlings at 10 county parks through April 30, or while supplies last, during normal business hours. From that same date through July 4, any resident can plant a tree anywhere in Suffolk County and register its location, including GPS coordinates, on the Living Legacy Tree Registry at suffolk250.org. Each registered tree earns a Suffolk 250 Living Legacy Certificate of Registration, and every entry will be stored in county archives for future generations to see.

"Suffolk 250 is a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only learn about our storied past, but to leave a legacy for future Suffolk County residents," Romaine said. "'Planting It Forward' is a unique way to celebrate the semiquincentennial as we will connect future generations through public documentation and additional green initiatives. I encourage all our residents to participate in this program beginning on Arbor Day."

Seedlings are available at the following Suffolk County parks: Gardiner County Park on Montauk Highway in Bay Shore; Blydenburgh County Park on Veterans Memorial Highway in Smithtown; Sears Bellows County Park at 63 Bellows Pond Road in Hampton Bays; Southaven County Park at 761 Victory Avenue in Brookhaven; West Sayville County Park at 200 Montauk Highway in West Sayville; West Hills County Park on Sweet Hollow Road in Huntington; Lake Ronkonkoma County Park at 600 Lake Shore Road in Lake Ronkonkoma; Timber Point County Park on Great River Road in Oakdale; Bergen Point County Park on Bergen Avenue in West Babylon; and Indian Island County Park on Cross River Drive (Route 105) in Riverhead.

No source specified a per-person seedling limit or exact park hours beyond "normal business hours"; residents should contact Suffolk County Parks directly before making a trip. Registration and additional details are available at suffolk250.org.

The oak-pine forests that already define the Suffolk landscape, like the 350-acre Calverton Ponds Preserve in Riverhead, offer a glimpse of what a red oak planted this spring might become by 2276, when the registry's first entries will have been sitting in the county archive for 250 years.