Planning Board Vice Chair Amy MacNulty approached the 250th Celebration Committee with an idea on how the town can celebrate the United States’ birthday while also doing something important for the future.
“As you know, several years ago, the town passed a tree bylaw, and with that tree bylaw, there was a tree replacement fund created,” MacNulty said.
She noted that the Planning Board is responsible for overseeing the fund.
“Today we have not planted any trees as that fund gets funded by people who either building new homes or any rebuilding (and) development. If they take down trees, they have a choice. They can either plant trees or they can mitigate and put funds into the tree replacement fund,” she said.
MacNulty said the fund has accumulated enough money to start planting trees in the spring, hopefully in April and May.
“We’d like to start with 25 trees in celebration of the 250th celebration effort,” she said.
The Board is working with the Department of Public Works, including Director John Scenna and Town Administrator Rob Dolan, who are supporting the project.
Planning Director Emilie Cademartori will be overseeing the project with the Board, and they will be working with an arborist to get advice as to what some of the best locations in town are.
“We’re going to go out and ask residents where they think there should be trees. And what we’re really trying to do is build the future tree canopy for the town and to maintain what we have (and) to build some of what we’ve lost over the past few years,” she said.
A link will be placed on the website for residents to suggest locations that must be on town property.
“And we’ll have to have the arborist say, ‘OK, these are viable locations that a tree can survive.’ And we’ll have the Tree Committee sort of advising on the types of trees with the arborist to say, ‘OK, this kind of tree can survive and do well there,'” she said.
250th Celebration Committee Co-Chair Joe Connell noted that the idea was “phenomenal.” He also mentioned the tours that will be taking place during the celebration and including the trees in them with red, white, and blue ribbon markers.
“During the tours that we have for the trolley… We’ll keep them up for a long long period of time so can people actually see the tremendous work they do and all the things they’ve done now for the town. Obviously, more trees are better for the town anyway,” Connell said.
He also stated that as people get on the trolley, they’ll be given a trifold showing all the stops they make, and that another trifold can be added showing the locations of the newly planted trees.
MacNulty noted that this is the beginning of a tree planting plan that will go beyond this year with the hope to do it every year by getting the systems in place now.
