By Ellen Edwards on behalf of the Bronxville Green Committee and the Bronxville Historical Conservancy

Oct. 16, 2025: The Village of Bronxville, with support from the Bronxville Historical Conservancy, is offering an exciting opportunity to residents of the Village: plant a tree in the right-of-way in front of your home and the Village will pay up to 50% of the total cost or $3,000, whichever is less; or choose the self-funded option and cover the full cost yourself.  The Right-of-Way Tree Planting Program is an invitation that extends to property owners, co-op boards, and building associations. 

The Right-of-Way Tree Planting Program:

Why? In recent years, Bronxville has lost a significant portion of its prized tree canopy to diseases, storms, and resident choices to remove trees from their property.  Knowing the tremendous contribution that trees make to our health and the quality of life in Bronxville, the Trustees are seeking to address this concern by encouraging residents to plant a tree on the village-owned strip of their property that borders the street—usually the ten to fifteen feet in from the pavement. 

How? Residents will select a tree from a curated list of trees that are either native to our area or are known for their resilience to salt and drought. The Village encourages planting large and medium-sized canopy trees where possible.  Since utility wires will make that impractical in many spots, they include a long list of smaller trees suitable for under wires. The Village will purchase the tree from a vetted nursery and arrange for a professional crew to plant it.  If choosing the subsidy option, the Village pays half the cost for the tree and installation or up to $3000; the resident will pay the rest.  If choosing the self-funded option, the resident pays the full cost. All trees planted in the right-of-way remain Village property.

Residents are encouraged but not required to provide basic care of the tree, especially watering during the first two years as the tree becomes established.  As with all plantings in the right-of-way, the Village owns the tree; you and your family, and all of Bronxville, will enjoy it.

Next Steps: To apply for a tree, read about the program, fill out the application, and glance at the tree list.  You will be given the choice to receive a 50% subsidy or cover the full cost of purchase and planting.  Village staff will review your application and get in touch to arrange an on-site inspection to make sure the location doesn’t interfere with underground lines and that the tree you’ve selected is likely to do well in the site you’ve chosen. 

As this project gets started, tree selections may be limited; the Village also reserves the right to prioritize areas that are especially lacking in trees.  If we’re unable to fulfill your request during the “soft launch” of the program this fall, we will save your application for consideration during the full rollout of the program in winter 2026, with tree planting in the spring.

Special Thanks: This project is made possible by a very generous gift from the Bronxville Historical Conservancy, which will match every dollar the Village spends up to $75,000. The Village Trustees are enormously grateful to the Historical Conservancy, which recognizes the importance of investing in trees, which provide shade for cooling, help reduce flooding, clean the air, add beauty to our surroundings, and offer habitat for wildlife.  The trees of Bronxville offer solace and inspiration every day! 

“Many of us remember when Bronxville’s streets were lined with overarching canopy trees,” said Mayor Mary Marvin. “Sadly, many of those trees have been lost. Trustee Bill Fredericks is spearheading this wonderful effort to begin to restore that lost legacy, and the Bronxville Historical Conservancy has become our invaluable partner by providing funds to make it possible.  We are so grateful for the Conservancy and all that it has contributed over many decades to maintain and restore the best of Bronxville.”

Said Mike Heraty, co-chair of the Conservancy, “The Bronxville Historical Conservancy is thrilled to support this effort to restore the Village’s tree canopy. This partnership with the Village reflects our ongoing commitment to preserving the character and beauty of Bronxville for future generations.”

The fall launch of this project is just the beginning of a major campaign next year.  Look for exciting programs and partnerships that we hope will engage everyone in the Bronxville community, and result in lots of new trees for Bronxville.

Meanwhile, whether or not you sign up for this program, have you considered planting one tree, or many, on your private property? If you take that step now, send a photo of you and your tree to the Bronxville Green Committee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will post it to our Instagram account!  

Again, apply now for a tree to be planted in the right-of-way in front of your home or apartment building. Read all about the program here. From now until mid-November is a great time to plant trees!

Inspired by the highly successful Bronxville Centennial Celebration in 1998, the Bronxville Historical Conservancy was founded to record and preserve Bronxville’s history and life in the village today.

The Bronxville Green Committee is a volunteer organization that is part of the Village of Bronxville. We work to propose and implement environmentally sustainable programs in our community. Visit our website and follow us on Instagram @bxvgreencommittee to learn more.