To the editor:
The Lynnfield Tree Committee, an Advisory Board to the town, is charged with acting in the best interest of our community by protecting our trees and the wider environment. Today we are writing to express our continued dismay at the planting of Bradford Pear (Pyrus calleryana) at the new Veterans Memorial site. Despite repeated communications, our serious concerns about these trees remain unaddressed.
Though well intentioned, this tree was introduced here over 100 years ago and has proven to be highly problematic. Marketed as an urban ideal, its widespread environmental harm and detrimental characteristics are now unequivocally clear. After the initial review process in 2023, last year the Commonwealth of Massachusetts officially added this tree to its Prohibited Plant list. The Massachusetts Invasive Advisory Group developed this list in response to the many non-native species causing harm economically and environmentally with a system to objectively evaluate plants on a yearly basis. The Callery/Bradford Pear was formally banned from importation and propagation due to the ecological risks by outcompeting native species and contributing to the degradation of natural habitats.
The Veterans Memorial site falls within property under the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission. Although the memorial site was permitted under the Conservation Commission, these trees were not approved during that process. A private homeowner would face strict prohibitions against planting such a harmful species. Particularly troubling is the planting of Bradford Pear behind the memorial, which places them in direct proximity to wetlands. Public projects should be held to the same environmental standards, especially one as meaningful as the Veterans Memorial.
The Tree Committee recommends replacing these trees in a timely manner with an appropriate species better suited to this symbolic location. Not only is this tree a prolific spreader negatively affecting local ecosystems, the branching habit makes it susceptible to wind, snow, and ice damage contributing to a short life span. When these trees fail they cannot be replaced with another Bradford Pear. In three years the grace period for sale of available nursery stock will have expired. Action should be taken soon to reduce the probability of this tree infiltrating the abutting wetlands.
The Bradford Pears at the Veterans Memorial are the wrong tree, in the wrong place. A noble expression of honor for incomprehensible sacrifice demands trees that truly embody strength, resilience, and lasting environmental integrity. Unfortunately, the current plantings fail to represent these crucial values.
Sincerely,
Lynnfield Tree Committee
Beth Aaronson, Jane Bandini, Patricia Fabbri, Mia H. Feng, Melanie Lovell, Alison McKendree, Rosemarie Sacco
