In a nutshell, we plant trees.
Shelter Island Friends of Trees (SIFoT) was founded in 1996 by Yioula Van Rynbach and others. Since its inception, SIFoT has planted more than 100 trees in public spaces on Shelter Island and designated over 75 significant trees as Landmark Trees.
we’ve been planting trees for over twenty years.
We KEEP THINGS SMALL
(like the acorn)
- Our membership fee is low ($25/year).
- The majority of your contribution goes toward the purchase and maintenance of trees in public spaces on Shelter Island.
We branch out!
Aside from planting trees, SIFoT promotes awareness and knowledge of our Island trees with:
- Our partnerships with the Shelter Island Highway Department, the Shelter Island School, Sylvester Manor Farm, the Shelter Island Historical Society, and local nurseries and arborists.
- FoT sponsored tree tours.
- Our Landmark Tree Program.
- Our annual meeting and special exhibition at the Town’s annual Green Expo.
why trees matter
We often take trees for granted but in fact trees…
- Are critical for our Island aquifer protection.
- Help sequester carbon.
- Act as filters, reducing pollutants.
- Reduce runoff and erosion.
- Provide shade in summer and shelter in winter, reducing utility costs.
- Provide essential wildlife habitat at a time when wild areas on the East End are shrinking.
- Enhance residential, commercial, and community property values.
- Native trees such as oaks, hickories, maples, and white pine help make Shelter Island a special place.
- Provide beauty and healing (just take a walk in our woods and feel their quiet power).
Shelter Island Friends of Trees is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax deductible.
board of directors
Tim Purtell, President
Karen Brush
Nanette Lawrenson
Kirsten Lewis
Angela Van Rynbach
Paulette Van Vranken
Stephanie Zinger
Jane Kenney
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For many of us, spring unleashes an irresistible urge to plant all kinds of greenery, including trees. While most homeowners enlist landscape contractors, there are occasions when a tree is small enough that they can accomplish the task themselves. Whether you go the DIY route or for hire, here are some tips for successful tree…
Tree News: Vines Vs. Trees
In a December post, I wrote about the beauty of deciduous trees in winter. The colder months also reveal something less beautiful: how vines severely impact our trees. Travel almost anywhere on the Island and you’ll see vines and trees comingling in a one-sided relationship that only benefits the aggressor. Fast growing and vigorous, vines…
Tree News: How Trees Survive Winter
Winter wonders: We often think of leafless, winter trees as drab and lifeless. Not so! Take a walk and admire their expressive branching structure that mimics our nervous system (or visa versa), suggesting we’re not as different from one another as we imagine. The colors, textures, and patterns of bark are another attraction. I’ve sometimes…
Tree of the Month: Pawpaw
Latin Name: Asimina triloba Locations: Like many of us, I was first introduced to the pawpaw tree as a child by the traditional, earworm-worthy “Pawpaw Song.” Years later, I became intrigued about this mysterious species and its fabled fruit but had never seen one until recently, when I visited James Marshall and Adam Bundy’s…
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Tree of the Month: Weeping European Beech
Latin Name: Fagus sylvatica ‘Pendula’ Locations: Though I’m not a fan of weeping trees, an exception can be made for willows and beeches. The magnificent weeping European beech next to the Sylvester Manor house is an Island treasure. (The quirky car tunnel carved out its long, outreaching branches is a bonus treat.) Another impressive…
Tree of the Month: American Chestnut
Latin Name: Castanea dentata Location: One of the rarest trees on Shelter Island, two American chestnuts persist in Mashomack’s woods. (A third died several years ago.) One of the trees is adjacent to the red trail but, because it’s closely surrounded by other trees, I wouldn’t have found it without guidance from Cindy Belt,…
Tree of the Month: Sassafras
Latin Name: Sassafras albidum Locations: Common in Island woods and woodland edges, sassafras is easy to identify by its two-lobed (like a mitten), three-lobed, or unlobed leaves. Some trees have leaves with all three shapes. Look for individual specimens along Cobbetts Lane after passing the fire house and a prominent grove on Ram Island Road…
Tree of the Month: Beach Plum
Latin Name: Prunus maritima Locations: Beach plum occurs naturally as a low, spreading shrub on dunes and beaches. Look for them at Shell Beach. It also makes a handsome landscape plant in fast-draining soil and full sun. In my yard, three beach plums planted in 2002 have become small, multi-branched trees currently bedecked with white…
Tree of the Month: Saucer Magnolia
Latin Name: Magnolia X soulangiana Locations: In these troubling times, spring is more welcome than ever. It feels like a miracle. Forsythia is roaring “Yellow!” along roadsides, the opreys are back, cardinals drown out outdoor conversation with their piercing birdie birdie birdie song, and trees are leafing out and flowering. This past week, the saucer…
Tree of the Month: Golden Weeping Willow
Latin Name: Salix alba ‘Tristis’ Locations: A small willow resides at the entrance to the school parking lot. Others can be easily spotted along Congdon Road, Smith Street, and Rt. 114 near South Midway Road. Tree stats: Golden weeping willow is a pendulous form of a tree native to Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. Just…
Tree of the Month: Pitch Pine
Latin Name: Pinus rigida Location: Rare on Shelter Island, a trio of cone-laden pitch pines stands out at the horse farm along Ram Island Road. Tree stats: The native pitch pine is a mostly eastern conifer that ranges from central Maine to northern Georgia. Depending upon location and conditions, they can vary in size from…
Tree of the Month: English or European Yew
Latin Name: Taxus baccata Locations: Four large, multi-trunked trees thrive in Montclair Colony at the corner of Gibbs and Simpson roads. Random specimens can be spotted around the Island. Tree stats: Native to Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, yew is a handsome evergreen conifer with dark green needles and rough, furrowed bark that can…
Tree of the Month: American Beech
Latin Name: Fagus grandifolia Locations: American beech thrives in Mashomack and Island woods. Numerous specimens, tall and short, are easily spotted along Heritage Drive. Aside from some oak species, they’re the only deciduous trees with leaves at this time of year. Tree stats: American beech ranges from northern Florida to Nova Scotia and west to…
Tree of the Month: Sawtooth Oak
Latin Name: Quercus acutissima Location: A splendid saw tooth oak at the school honors Shelter Island Educational Foundation founding trustee Harman Hawkins. Tree stats: Native to Japan, Korea, China, and the Himalayas, sawtooth oak get its common name from its long, serrated leaves. Though deciduous, tattered leaves may linger on the tree during the winter.…
Tree of the Month: Osage Orange
Latin Name: Maclura pomifera Location: Most of the year you could pass by the Osage orange tree on the right side of Ram Island Drive on your way to the second causeway and pay no notice. The rough, furrowed bark resembles that of black locust and in the summer its leaves blend in with the…
Tree of the Month: Franklin Tree
Latin Name: Franklinia alatamaha Location: Though I’ve long been aware of this fabled tree and often fantasized about growing one, I had never seen an actual specimen until I visited James Marshall and Adam Bundy’s wonderful, labrynthine garden in mid-September. Botanic history: The native Franklin tree was originally found by botanist John Bartram and his…
Tree of the Month: Tree of Heaven
Latin Name: Ailanthus altissima Locations: Tree of heaven thrives (too well!) throughout the Island. One is tucked to the side of the library parking lot; a cluster of small trees flourish along the edge of Coecles Harbor at the intersection of Cobbetts Lane and Ram Island Road. Tree stats: Native to China, tree of heaven got…
Tree of the Month: Black Locust
Latin Name: Robinia pseudoacacia Locations: Everywhere! Tree Stats: Black locust is native to Pennsylvania and Iowa and south from Georgia to Oklahoma. This fast-growing but relatively short-lived tree usually tops out at 50 feet and spans 25 feet wide. Over time, the trunk and older branches develop a thick, furrowed bark in handsome contrast to the delicacy…
Tree of the Month: Common Horsechestnut
Latin Name: Aesculus hippocastanum Locations: In late May and early June common horsechestnuts are in dazzling bloom in various Island neighborhoods. Standouts include trees along Smith Street and a large specimen in front of Havens House. Tree stats: Native to the forests of Greece and Albania, common horsechestnut grows up to 300 feet tall. In…
Tree of the Month: Eastern Redbud
Latin Name: Cercis canadensis Locations: Five redbuds, planted by Friends of Trees, are currently blooming at the corner of Cobbetts Lane and Manhanset Road. Two large, multi-trunked trees grace the lawn of the Dering Harbor Inn. Tree stats: The native eastern redbud has a wide range, thriving from Massachusetts to Florida and west to Texas.…
Tree of the Month: Japanese Pieris
Latin Name: Pieris japonica Locations: Japanese pieris can be found in home landscapes throughout the Island. One of my favorites is a hefty specimen that grows in the Heights near the Chequit triangle. Right now it’s brimming with fragrant blossoms. Another Heights pieris achieves small-tree status, reaching the second story windows of a house on Spring…
Tree of the Month: White Cedar
Latin Name: Thuja occidentalis Location: A row of four white cedars thrive adjacent to the old outhouse in the Sylvester Manor garden. Tree stats: White cedar is a native, evergreen conifer that ranges from eastern Canada to New York, Maine, and Massachusetts, and west to Ohio. Also known as northern white cedar or American arborvitae, white…
Tree of the month: Norway Spruce
Latin name: Picea abies Location: Though the species can be found in many areas around the Island, it’s most prominent at the Goat Hill golf course where a row of tall trees tower near the second and third holes. Tree stats: An evergreen conifer, Norway spruce is native to northern and central Europe. In the wild the…
Tree of the Month: Cryptomeria or Japanese Cedar
Latin name: Cryptomeria japonica Locations: Cryptomeria trees of various sizes are sprinkled throughout the Island. A smallish one grows to the right side of the Library entrance. I’ve seen a magnificent specimenl in a private garden on Cobbetts Lane and ten mammoth trees stand guard in front of a friend’s home on Linda Road. Tree…
Tree of the Month: Colorado Spruce
Latin name: Picea pungens Locations: Two towering Colorado spruces dominate opposite corners of 114 and East Thomas Street by the Justice Hall and Police Department. The trees are also a common component of landscapes throughout the Island. Tree stats: Native to (surprise!) Colorado as well as Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico, this evergreen tree is…
Tree of the Month: Japanese Maple
Latin name: Acer palmatum Locations: Japanese maples are ubiquitous on Shelter Island. A tree on a property at the corner of North Midway and Bateman is pleasingly voluminous in the summer, vividly colored in the fall, and still shapely in the leafless winter. “Wow!” color: When most of our deciduous trees have peaked or lost their…
Tree of the Month: Ginkgo Biloba
Latin name: Ginkgo biloba Locations: Two ginkgos stand guard at the school playground. Two other trees border the Heights tennis court and there’s a small grove of them at the Sylvester Manor garden. Tree stats: Native to China, the ginkgo is also known as the maidenhair tree because its unique, fan-shaped leaves resemble those of the maidenhair…
Tree of the month: Black Walnut
Latin name: Juglans nigra Location: Black walnut trees can be found in various areas of the Island. Several large ones tower over houses in the lower Heights near Chase Creek. The Havens House grounds are home to three tall specimens and an impressive grove can be spotted along the Gardiner’s Creek trail at Sylvester Manor.…
Tree of the Month: Crape Myrtle
Latin Names: Lagerstroemia fauriei, L. indica, L. hybrids. Locations: In July and August, the Island’s crape myrtles are impossible to miss in front of homes or exploding over privet hedges and fences with their dense clusters of flashy, colorful flowers. On North Midway road, two trees adjacent to one another compete for attention with purple and…
Tree of the Month: Sourwood
Latin name: Oxydendrum arboreum Locations: A gorgeous sourwood at a home on East Thomas Street is unusual in that it’s wider than tall. Two sizable trees have long thrived in the Heights—one near the tennis court at the corner of Summerfield Place and Clinton Avenue, the other at the corner of Waverly Place and Bay…
Tree of the Month: Kousa Dogwood
Latin name: Cornus kousa Locations: In late June and early July, our kousas are hard to miss along Route 114 and in the Town center. There’s a spectacular specimen at the entrance to the Presbyterian Church parking lot and several beauties across the street in the cemetery and schoolyard. In the Heights, an allée of…
Tree of the month: Southern Magnolia
Location: Uncommon on Shelter Island, a 20-foot-tall southern magnolia thrives next to the entrance of Our Lady of the Isle Church. Planted in 1997, it has withstood winter winds, snow and ice, and extreme cold snaps. Despite these harsh conditions, the tree is putting out healthy new growth and is currently in bloom with large,…
Tree of the Month: Flowering Dogwood
Latin name: Cornus florida Location: The flowering dogwoods have been spectacular this spring. Until last week, a handsome specimen stood out on the corner of Bateman and North Midway. Two others were prominent next to the library and in front of the school. Others were blooming in front of Center homes as well as along Route…
Tree of the Month: White, Gray and River Birch
Latin names: Betula papyrifera, Betula pendula, Betula populifolia, and Betula nigra. Location: Numerous tall birches stand out in the leafless woods along Mashomack’s red trail. Tree mystery: I had always thought that the red trail trees were the native white birch (B. papyrifera). Not so, and an example of how the identification of similar-looking trees can be tricky.…
Tree of the Month: Witch Hazel
Latin names: Hamamelis X intermedia, H. virginiana Location: In the bleak month of February when winter seems endless, few sights are as welcome as the bright yellow flowers of the witch hazel. A gorgeous, multi-trunked specimen stands out like a floral torch on 59 South Midway Road in front of James and Linda Eklund’s house. Tree…
Tree of the Month: Atlas Cedar
Latin name: Cedrus atlantica Location: A dense, multi-branched Atlas cedar thrives on the Shelter Island School grounds next to the vegetable garden. The specimen is most likely the cultivar ‘Glauca’, which is also known as the blue Atlas cedar. Tree stats: Native to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and Algeria, Atlas cedar is an evergreen conifer that can…
Tree of the Month: Tamarack
Latin name: Larix laricina Location: A tall tamarack grows on the Shelter Island School grounds along School Street near a visitor parking area. Tree stats: Also known as eastern larch, this handsome native tree ranges from the boreal forest of Canada to the northern United States. It’s very cold hardy, enduring temperatures down to -85 degrees.…
Tree of the Month: American Holly
Latin name: Ilex opaca Locations: American Holly thrives throughout the Island. One of my favorite specimens grows at the edge of the Union Chapel grounds on Wesley Avenue. Other large hollies can be seen from Route 114 on the right as you approach the South Ferry. Smaller ones grow wild in the Sylvester Manor woods near…
Tree of the Month: Monkey Puzzle
Latin name: Araucaria araucana. Locations: The monkey puzzle is, hands down, the most bizarre tree on Shelter Island. Two specimens are visible along Route 114. One is located at 151 North Ferry Road, the site of the former Evans Griffing house. The top portion of the 40-foot tree can be seen from the roadside hedge.…
Tree of the Month: Sweetgum
Latin Name: Liquidambar styraciflua Locations: Three large sweetgums flourish at the edge of the Library parking lot. Four other trees, planted by Friends of Trees, can be spotted along Manhanset Road by Bonnie Lane. Another specimen grows on the grounds of Union Chapel. Tree stats: The native sweetgum ranges from Massachusetts to northern Florida and west…
Tree of the Month: American Elm
Latin name: Ulmus americana Locations: A large American elm grows at the edge of Prospect Park across from the tennis courts. Nearby, another tree hovers over Summerfield Place. There’s a splendid specimen in Sylvester Manor to the right side of the driveway approaching the Manor and three huge trees can be found on Baldwin, South…
Tree of the Month: Dawn Redwood
Latin name: Metasequoia glyptostroboides Locations: A rare tree on Shelter Island Island, a tall dawn redwood towers over the new addition at the Historical Society; another thrives in the Sylvester Manor garden. Others may be found in private gardens. Tree stats: Originally from China, the dawn redwood grows up to 70 to 100 feet high and…
Tree of the Month: Pin Oak
Latin name: Quercus palustris Location: A magnificent pin oak grows in the Town Center between the Library and Town Hall. Because this tree is unimpeded by other trees, it has a full, even spread on all sides. Tree stats: The native pin oak ranges from the Midwest to the Northeast. The Latin word palus means swamp,…
Tree of the Month: Tuliptree
Latin name: Liriodendron tulipifera Locations: A large, old tuliptree grows next to a Sycamore on the Havens House grounds. On Ram Island, a handsome specimen, donated by the Tuthill Drive Neighbors, guards the entrance to Tuthill Drive. Three other trees — one between Chase Bank and Justice Hall, a second on Manhanset Road near Cobbetts,…
Tree of the Month: Shadbush
Latin names: Amelanchier canadensis, Amelanchier arborea Locations: With their delicate, star-shaped white flowers, shadbush trees are easy to spot in early spring in the leafless coastal bluffs that stretch from the Heights to the woodlands along Shore Road. They can also be found in Mashomack Preserve’s native garden and the surrounding area next to the…
Tree of the Month: Red Maple
Latin name: Acer rubrum Locations: A large red maple has survived for years in front of the Chase Bank despite the fact that its roots are surrounded by concrete. Red maples can be seen along Menantic Road by Bowditch and Midway Road. In 2013, Friends of Trees planted red maple hybrids along both sides of…
Tree of the Month: Eastern Red Cedar
Latin name: Juniperus virginiana Actually, it’s a juniper: Despite its common name, Eastern red cedar is a juniper. The trees became known as cedars because they reminded the first colonists of European cedars. Locations: Red cedars are found almost everywhere on Shelter Island and the East End. There’s a dense grove on the Sylvester Manor side…
Tree of the Month: White Pine
Latin name: Pinus Strobus Locations: Three white pines tower over the Library. You can also see them on Winthrop Road, on the right, as you approach the Gardiner’s Creek bridge. They are abundant on the Sylvester Manor grounds and a large specimen stands out in Sachem’s Woods. Other white pines are scattered throughout the Island.…