Summer Opportunities to Learn, Share, and Support

Summer in the City:
Nurturing Trees, Art, and People

Trees and Art Coming to Ronan Park in Dorchester

What would you like to see at Ronan?

Ronan Park is one of those parks in Boston that serves as a gathering space for the community. Tucked on a hill behind Fields Corner in Dorchester, our staff has loved spending time up there with the trees and the view. We are thrilled to have received a DotBlock grant from the Boston Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) to plant trees there.

More recently, we were approached by Artists for Humanity to co-develop community-led art projects that would align with the community's needs. The project will include 3-free-standing art sculptures, 2 painted murals, and, with the BPDA grant, additional trees for the park. We are looking for support from youth, elders, homeowners, renters, and anyone who utilizes the park.

Click here to support this project to help create a vibrant, green, and artistic space in Ronan Park.

For more information, contact [email protected]

We want your ideas for Ronan Park

Teen Urban Tree Corps:
Update from the Field

Hello from the Teen Urban Tree Corps! We have been busy since our last update.

Our Tree Care crew has been watering over 150 trees weekly, while the Research Crew completed their tree inventory at Loesch Family Park and began air quality and temperature monitoring. Meanwhile, the Outreach crew has been capturing every moment and educating our community. We visited the Epiphany School, where we explored their greenhouse, weeded the garden, and played icebreaker games to get to know each other better. The garden was filled with vegetables, like radishes and herbs, like parsley and basil.

We also observed the Epiphany tree care crew in action. At the Boston Nature Center, we worked on the forested trails, removing invasive plants like Poison Ivy and Stinging Nettle, which cause sharp stings and itchiness (that's a photo of us in action!). We later participated in a nature workshop, creating notebooks from organic and recycled materials. Finally, we visited Mount Auburn Cemetery, where a guide shared the site's history and the symbolic importance of trees. Half of our group also joined the Women's Tree Climbing Workshop, learning about safety and global collaborations.

Lily, Our Tree Care Associate, is Out Watering Trees

Due to the record-breaking blistering heat, our trees need water more than ever. With our new electric watering truck - Big Green Watering Machine - that hauls a 250-gallon tank, watering has been a breeze, and our tree care associate Lily has been able to water up to 40 trees a day!

Driving an electric vehicle to our various locations in Boston has allowed us to reduce our carbon footprint, staying true to our organization's mission. We have planted over 100 trees that range from red maples, honey locusts, black tupelos, lindens, and tulip trees. Planting various species allows biodiversity to thrive; beautiful birds like blue jays, robins, and black red-winged birds have been spotted at our sites.

Trees provide so many benefits to our community, and we’re working hard to properly care for them to ensure they grow to their fullest potential! Even if it means having to fill up our tank over 3 times a day on some of the hottest days of the year, we’re committed to nurturing and protecting our trees.

Community Tree Keepers Trainings Coming this Fall

Boston residents are invited to enroll in our new Community TreeKeepers program, where you’ll not only learn about the importance and benefits trees bring but also how to care for them so they continue to bring value to our community. The training is split into two 3-hour sessions, held in the evenings. These will include tree identification, proper tree planting procedure, who to contact for all tree-related questions, and more.

Dates and locations are being determined. Meanwhile, visit and sign up on our Tree Keepers webpage.

Sign up for TreeKeepers

Purchase Your Tickets for Our Fall Benefit

We hope you’ll join us on the evening of October 10th for our fall benefit celebration, Branching out for Our Future: Planting Trees, Nurturing Communities.

We’ll gather at Southline, 135 Morrissey Boulevard, to plant a tree and come together as a community to celebrate, connect, and learn. Paris Alston from WGBH will join us to celebrate the hard work and guidance of two of our founding board members, Dr. Atyia Martin and Charlie Lord.

Buy Your Ticket Today!

The Latest On White Stadium

The Boston Parks Commission votes on its demolition on Monday, Aug. 12, at 10 AM.

If you have been following the plan to renovate White Stadium, you may have heard the Parks Commission’s doubts and community concerns about this project, including a partnership with a for-profit entity, restricted access for BPS students and community members on game day Saturdays between April and November, parking, traffic, pollution, and noise that comes with 11,000 soccer fans in Franklin Park.

The Commission agreed to postpone the vote to demolish the existing stadium until these community concerns had been addressed. If you’re interested in learning more and sharing your thoughts, attend the zoom call.

We encourage residents and community members to have their voices heard by sending a letter to the Parks Commission before Monday, Aug. 12, or by joining the call at 10 AM. Click here to register for the meeting.

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Join us in growing Boston's urban forest

Our mailing address is:
Speak for the Trees
60 Clayton Street, #201
Dorchester, MA 02122

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