Let’s face it: planting trees is fun! It’s a great team activity and has instant impact.
Taking care of trees through the hot summer months?
Maybe not as much fun, but absolutely essential to making sure trees survive.
Sadly, new trees planted in urban areas have a low survival rate. One in every three urban trees planted will die within five years, according to recent research (Beyond the Golden Shovel, Journal of the American Planning Association*). Ongoing care for trees during the first 3-5 years is one of the most important factors to an urban tree’s survival. Newly planted street trees are more vulnerable, so ensuring their survival depends on them receiving the appropriate amount of water. Rainfall alone does not provide these trees with enough water necessary to survive. The research we mentioned above also tells us that the trees with the highest survival rates receive high quality and consistent caregiving.
Input from Tree Boston
Keeping our trees thriving is a big part of our work. Last month science reporter Leslie Nemo sought out our Executive Director David Meshoulam as an expert voice. Her article, Urban Tree Planting Programs Adapt to Federal Funding Redaction, appeared on Smart Cities Dive, www.smartcitiesdive.com.
In the article, Leslie highlights the recent federal funding cuts and what she heard from nonprofits about how these cuts were impacting them. If you’ve been keeping up with our newsletters, you probably know that more than $75 million in federal support through the US Forest Service for tree planting was terminated earlier this year. TB lost $550,000 in grant money from the Arbor Day Foundation and a $250,000 urban forestry fellowship grant from the United States Forest Service. Read more on the fellowship here.
While the news of funding cuts is grim, we are proud of David and thrilled that TB is gaining recognition for our work!
What is our tree sustaining work?
Our tree sustainability initiatives are mission-critical. In 2024, we planted 59 trees and sustained 115 through watering and care. This year, we’re on track to hit our goals for growth and have already planted 107 trees! The summer is the key time for tree care and we are watering our trees on a weekly basis.
As part of our Teen Urban Tree Corps (TUTC) program, beginning on July 7 this year, we send teams out to water our trees throughout the city. In 2024, TUTC watered 180 trees weekly. This year we hope to exceed this goal.
For more information on 2024, take a look at our 2024 Annual Report.
What comes next?
Starting in late spring to the end of the summer, newly planted trees require 15 to 20 gallons of water weekly. With the season of high demand time for tree watering upon us, we are doing everything we can to keep up with our tree care. If you’d like to get involved, we’d love your participation! You can:
- Volunteer to help us water! This could be a fun group activity for 5-10 people. Click here for the form.
- Learn about our TUTC program and share the opportunity with Boston teens age 14-18.
- Be part of our Hot Truck Summer Campaign to double our capacity for tree care!
Thanks for being part of Tree Boston.
*By the way, here’s the information for the research we mentioned:
Beyond the Golden Shovel Recommendations for a Successful Urban Tree Planting Initiative Theodore S. Eisenman, Lara A. Roman, Johan Östberg, Lindsay K. Campbell & Erika Svendsen To cite this article: Theodore S. Eisenman, Lara A. Roman, Johan Östberg, Lindsay K. Campbell & Erika Svendsen (08 May 2024): Beyond the Golden Shovel, Journal of the American Planning Association, DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2024.2330943
