Chancellor King Celebrates Arbor Day During Visit to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

April 27, 2026

Chancellor King joined ESF President Joanie Mahoney at ESF's LaFayette Road Experiment Station to Announce Capital Project in Support the College's American Chestnut Program; Photos Available Here

In Celebration of Arbor Day, SUNY Campuses Hosted Tree Plantings and Events; System-Wide Tree Plantings Will Result in More Than 5,000 New Trees in Coming Year

Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. highlighted the efforts of students, faculty, and staff to promote climate actions and celebrate Arbor Day. Throughout the SUNY system, campuses have been hosting tree plantings and events to celebrate the holiday, highlighting the benefits of natural carbon sequestration through trees, and using tree shade to help mitigate heat impacts on campus. During a visit to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), Chancellor King celebrated the holiday by joining campus leaders to announce a capital project in support of the college's American Chestnut Program at the Lafayette Road Experiment Station. The station is used extensively for teaching and research and is home to 50 different tree species. It is part of the American Chestnut Research & Restoration Project at SUNY ESF to grow blight-tolerant American chestnuts with the goal of restoring them to their previous forest ecosystems.

"SUNY ESF is a gem of the SUNY System and a leader in the state's climate change and sustainability efforts. It was wonderful to celebrate Arbor Day with students and campus leaders at SUNY ESF during the groundbreaking of the Lafayette Road Experiment Station, which will act as a vital resource to support SUNY ESF's research on the American chestnut tree," said SUNY Chancellor King. "As part of Arbor Day celebrations statewide, SUNY students, faculty, and staff also took action to support campus climate resilience efforts by planting trees, helping create cleaner air, mitigate climate impacts, and keep their campuses at cooler temperatures. I commend the efforts of our dedicated students who took part in this small effort, that will deliver meaningful long-term results."

SUNY Trustee Eric Corngold said, "Through the support of Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, SUNY can invest in resources that support our faculty and student researchers, while also helping mitigate climate change. This Arbor Day, we're also proud to celebrate the students and staff who took the time to participate in events that will not only make their campuses more beautiful but also create healthier and cleaner environments for their communities. SUNY is committed to supporting sustainability on our campuses, year-round, whether it be through our SUNY Climate and Sustainability Plan or by offering the highest quality education to students interested in pursuing green jobs."

SUNY ESF President Joanie Mahoney said, "Arbor Day reminds us of the vital role trees play in strengthening our communities and advancing climate solutions. It was especially meaningful to celebrate this day with the ceremonial groundbreaking at our Lafayette Road Experiment Station, a facility central to ESF's teaching and research mission and a key site for our American chestnut restoration efforts. We are pleased to have Chancellor King join us and share in this important moment, and we appreciate his continued leadership and support of sustainability across SUNY."

The $5 million renovation of the greenhouse at SUNY ESF's Lafayette Road Experiment Station includes renovations to the lab portion of the building, as well as the greenhouse on the site. Renovations will include replacement of the greenhouse glass and roof vent system, roof replacement, new ceilings, as well as lighting and power upgrades, and an emergency back-up generator. The construction project will help support SUNY ESF's research into the American chestnut tree, and other research projects taking place on campus.

In celebration of Arbor Day, SUNY campuses throughout the state organized events that promoted campus biodiversity and sustainability, including tree plantings, which will lead to more than 5,000 new trees system-wide in the coming year. SUNY campus events include:

  • Buffalo State University hosted a ceremonial tree planting on April 24 from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the East Side Bishop Hall, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222.
  • SUNY Cortland hosted a tree planting ceremony on April 24 at 11:30 a.m. in the Park Center, 1 Folmer Driver, Cortland, NY 13045.
  • SUNY ESF hosted a tree planting on April 22 from 2 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. on the Baker Quad, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210.
  • SUNY Morrisville hosted a tree planting on April 25 at 9:30 a.m. as part of its Arbor Day 5K , 80 Eaton Street, Morrisville, NY 13408.
  • SUNY Oswego hosted an Arbor Day Celebration and Pancake Breakfast, including celebratory tree plantings, on April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rice Creek Field Station, 193 Thompson Road, Oswego, NY 13126.
  • SUNY Purchase College hosted an Arbor Day Celebration, including tree plantings, on April 24 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Native Plant Garden, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577.
  • The State University of New York at Stony Brook hosted a tree identification hike on April 24 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. starting at the Administration Building on Academic Mall, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11794.

Dayna Berry, the Program Manager of Tree Campus at the Arbor Day Foundation, said, "Across many of its locations, SUNY is a strong example of what it means to be a Tree Campus. They understand and embrace the meaningful role higher education leaders play in helping students foster a lasting connection with the environment. We're proud SUNY is part of our growing network of tree champions at educational institutions across the country."

Bill Ulfelder, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy in New York, said, "SUNY's commitment to planting more trees is an investment in healthier campuses and a healthier climate. Trees cool neighborhoods, clean our air and water, store carbon, provide critical habitat for wildlife and improve our well-being by increasing access to nature. By expanding tree planting across its campuses, SUNY is advancing New York's goal of planting 25 million trees by 2033 while demonstrating the real power of natural climate solutions. We thank Chancellor John B. King Jr. and SUNY faculty and campus teams across the system for their leadership and action." 

State Senator Rachel May said, "Arbor Day is a reminder of how important it is to invest in our environment and the future of our communities. I'm glad to see the SUNY system is leading the way from planting trees to advancing critical research at SUNY ESF. Investments like the Lafayette Road Experiment Station will help drive innovation, restore the American chestnut, and strengthen our environment for future generations. Thank you to Chancellor King for highlighting this important work."

State Assemblymember William B. Magnarelli said, "I congratulate SUNY ESF on the groundbreaking for the Lafayette Road Experiment Station.  The new Station will continue to make SUNY ESF a leader in learning and research in forestry.  This Arbor Day it is important to remember the importance of forests to the health of our environment."

The SUNY Arbor Day events built on SUNY's ongoing commitment to sustainability throughout the SUNY System. The events support the SUNY Climate and Sustainability Action Plan's commitment to engage students on sustainability issues. As part of Climate Week, SUNY announced the first-year results for SUNY's Climate and Sustainability Plan, highlighting a 44 percent greenhouse gas reduction. Additionally, SUNY highlighted events taking place at campuses throughout the SUNY system to promote sustainability in observance of Earth Day. To further support sustainability, SUNY has also announced the inaugural cohort of Sustainability Faculty Fellows, the SUNY Climate Research Task Force, and the launch of SUNY's Outdoors for All program.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.

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