A shade tree program was needed to replace the many trees lost in town over the years. The Community Lawyer organized student canvassers to conduct an inventory of all town trees and categorized them by species and health. Then the town appointed a town Shade Tree Committee.

A law to protect town trees was drafted by the Community Lawyer and adopted by the Board of Selectman. The town now has a tree policy, seasonal tree planting and maintenance. To date, 75 stumps have been removed and over 100 new trees have been planted in Winsted.