Rye residents can now get a free oak sapling grown from acorns collected right in the city, thanks to a new giveaway program organized by City Councilmember James Ward, Barbara and Paul Hicks, and James Frank.

The group launched the program in celebration of America's 250th anniversary, aiming to restore what was once a dominant oak canopy across Rye. The Rye Record's "Around the Garden" column, written by Chris Cohan and published Aug. 5, announced the effort and framed it as both a patriotic and ecological act.

Cohan called oaks "the cathedrals of the natural world" and "ecological powerhouses," noting they can live for hundreds of years.

The saplings available through the program were grown locally from Rye-collected acorns. According to the column, oaks support more than 1,200 species, from large wildlife that feed on acorns to fungi that form symbiotic relationships with the trees' root systems.

Oaks provide starch to underground fungal networks, and in return the fungi help the trees access nutrients in the soil, creating an unseen web of mutual support beneath the forest floor.

Ward, a Rye resident since 2011, co-founded the Rye Sustainability Foundation and was elected to the City Council in 2024. His background in sustainability work and environmental advocacy in Rye stretches back more than a decade, according to the foundation's website.

The program has no announced end date or scheduled distribution event. Saplings are available on request.

Residents who want a free oak tree can email Ward at [email protected].

Upcoming

No public planting event or pickup day has been scheduled for the oak sapling program. Residents interested in updates can check ryesustainability.com or contact Ward directly by email.