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We stand in solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Islander neighbors, friends, brothers, sisters, and family members. The heinous events of this week in Atlanta have no place in our country and our society. We grieve for the lives lost and for the trauma inflicted on so many. Anti-Asian Hate must stop. Go to Stop AAPI Hate today to find out what you can do.



Get ready for ArborWeek 2021

We're excited to announce a week of tree festivities! We're pulling together a series of in-person and virtual events the week of April 26th as we prepare for Arbor Day on Friday, April 30th. We'll host tree walks, tree talks, and tree planting events. Stay tuned.



Charlestown Update

On Monday there was a public meeting about the trees in Bunker Hill Housing in Charlestown. The meeting opened with a message of solutions by Councilor Lydia Edwards: “I hope that everyone is here is ready to get to solutions... making suggestions that are moving the ball forward in the perspective of environmental justice. That means holding everybody accountable, especially the developers who have the deepest pockets.” She provided numerous concrete suggestions, including planting mature trees and not saplings, hiring an independent arborist to oversee the process, and having a youth-led environmental justice team to lead the process.

After a lengthy presentation by the development team, the meeting opened for public comment. It was a frank but difficult conversation that exposed deep rift and mistrust. Feelings were raw and real.

We wanted to clarify our position on the trees on the site and our current position on how to proceed. About 5 months ago our organization posed several straight-forward questions to the developers about the extent and status of the urban forest on this 24-acre parcel. The developers shortly thereafter released a full tree inventory in which they "discovered" 150 more trees on site than they had expected, many of them mature and healthy.

Since October, we have been saddened to see how our concerns have been misconstrued as efforts to derail the project. Nothing could be further from the truth. We stand in support of the residents of Bunker Hill Housing and the members of Charlestown Residents Alliance and youth in the Turn It Around program in their calls for clean, dignified, and sustainable housing. We, unfortunately, have been painted by the developers as "tree huggers" who are simply not interested in the well-being of residents. We reject that characterization and hope that phase 1 can proceed in a timely manner.

Instead, it is our belief that it is the developers who failed us. They did not do due diligence. They never took the trees into account because they never saw them until it was too late. If the trees were inventories back in 2017 and taken into account during the design process, we likely would not have found ourselves in this predicament. Even the BCDC has asked the developers to reexamine their design and take trees into account. They did and saved an additional dozen trees.

What's next? In a letter we wrote to the development team on Monday, we provided 4 simple recommendations:

1) That an urban forest plan for the site be put in place for the remainder of the project and that residents and tree advocates be at the table to help construct it.

2) That mature trees slated for removal be preserved through air-spading and replanting.

3) That a qualified arborist be on site throughout the project to oversee that preserved trees not be harmed by heavy machinery and construction.

4) That the footprint of the developer's tree planting program be expanded to within a quarter-mile radius of the site, mitigating the effects of the canopy's reduction.

What this process has exposed, perhaps more than anything else, is that there needs to be a city-wide process put in place to ensure that trees are included in future development projects throughout so that this doesn't happen again. Not only are we losing a grove of mature trees, but we have also lost neighborly trust in one of the most important and sensitive development sites in the city.

Our position is, and will always be, that trees are important because they provide residents with healthy and livable neighborhoods. Trees are not expendable things things to be cleared and replanted. Instead, trees need to be valued as part of our shared landscape. Trees care for us and we must care for them. In the coming year, as the city embarks on a Urban Forest Plan and as a Mayoral race unfolds, it is time examine how we value trees in Boston and what steps we, as a community, should take to preserve them.



Meet Kathryn, our new education intern
Kathryn Pope

This semester we’re thrilled to have Kathryn Pope join our team as an education intern. She’s assisting Natalie, our Youth Education Coordinator, on developing tree related curriculum for Boston middle school students. She is currently a senior at Lesley University studying Environmental Science and Education. At Lesley, Kathryn is involved with the Environmental Club and the women's cross country team. She grew up in southern Rhode Island and has spent her whole life exploring the outdoors. Post-graduation, her interests lie in educating outdoors and sharing her knowledge and love for nature with younger generations. A fun fact about Kathryn is that she has a tattoo that says "unless", from the Lorax, her favorite children's book!



Tree Walk Features!

We have gotten some great submissions to our community Tree Walks so far! Here are a couple to give you a sneak peak. Don't forget to send us all your favorite funky, unique, historic, storied and wicked awesome trees, it's super quick so please send in as many as you would like using this form. 

Oaks at Oak Square Common

"These four oak trees are about 70 years old, and they define the Oak Square Common, which is at the center of Oak Square- a locale and neighborhood that owe their name to a historic, massive oak tree (once reportedly the largest in eastern Massachusetts) that was cut down in 1854. These four trees were planted in the 1950's in the heart of Oak Square, during a major change in the shape of the Square. Our Common was completely redone around 1989 with money from the Browne Fund, with these trees being the defining feature from the past. In addition to the tie in to the namesake of the neighborhood, they also evolve for the future- they will see significant holiday lighting beginning next season." Submitted by Charlie V.

Stony Brook Lindens

"It is one of my favorite parts of early summer here in the city when you walk out of the Stony Brook T station to hit a wall of fragrant linden blossoms in bloom! The aroma fills the air and you can often see bounties of bees and insects hovering about! A splendid celebration of summer" by Gwendolyn T.

Nominate a Tree 


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