Tryptich spring2014 | Newton MA News and Politics Blog
It’s only a week and a half since we finished the Newton Tree Conservancy spring plantings, and we’re already looking ahead to fall. We have the date, Saturday, November 15, and thanks to a generous matching grant this past winter we have the funds to plant as many trees as we can logistically manage (at least 50, and probably 60). All we need are groups of neighbors who have plantable spots and are willing to help on planting day, and fill the TreeGator watering bags weekly for the first two growing seasons.

We like to plant in clusters of eight or more trees where five or more homeowners, in relatively close proximity, have empty spots. If you’ve noticed empty spots where trees used to be (or should be), on your street or nearby, please think about organizing a group with your neighbors. (If you don’t know your neighbors, this is a great way to get to know them!) It really is worth the effort when you see the trees growing. FYI, these photos, all shot in the last week or so, are a serviceberry we planted April 2013, a red oak we just did, and a ‘Homestead’ elm (disease resistant hybrid) planted in spring 2011 (and a couple of passersby who kindly stood by the tree for scale).

We’d like to have applications by June 1, to have enough lead time to check planting spots and get our tree order in early enough to have the best selection of tree species. We plant bare root trees, which are very easy to handle, but there is a lead time to order them, and supply is more limited than normal. More information is at newtontreeconservancy.org/programs.

If you’re not sure what’s a plantable spot, and whether you have enough, someone from the Newton Tree Conservancy will be happy to walk the neighborhood with you to scope it out. And you may have more spots than you think, because the most recent dead/hazard tree survey found about 900 trees which will be tagged for removal, with the most hazardous ones at least being gone by fall.