Boston Urban Forest Coalition Aims to Plant 100,000 Canopy Trees 
by Gretchen Folk
August 2007
A cool breeze rustling the leaves of trees makes a humid July day tolerable. Throughout Boston, canopy trees help to shade cars, pavement, buildings, and residents. But not everyone in Boston has a tree nearby. With no street tree or front yard tree, not even a neighbor’s tree, summer can be the harshest season of all.
Mayor Menino announced Boston’s Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Goal during this year’s Arbor Day celebration at Geneva Cliffs in Dorchester, giving many residents hope for a greener Boston. Over the next 14 years, EarthWorks and other members of the Boston Urban Forest Coalition aim to plant 100,000 trees in a new effort called “Grow Boston Greener.”
The Boston Urban Forest Coalition (BUFC) formed in March 2005 to bring together urban forest advocates such as EarthWorks, the Urban Ecology Institute (UEI), the Boston Parks Department, the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), JP Trees, the Department of Neighborhood Development, and the Franklin Park Coalition. The Coalition’s initial goal was determining how to apply data from the Greater Boston Urban Forest Inventory, an effort between the Parks Department, DCR, and UEI to inventory and map Boston’s entire urban forest. Now the BUFC is also working to improve management, education and awareness of the urban forest and contribute to policy development at the city level.
The urban forest inventory revealed what some already knew: there are great disparities in tree cover throughout the city. The data helped to inform the mayor’s goal of 100,000 new trees by 2020. Achieving this goal would increase canopy tree coverage in Boston from 29% to 35%. Planting efforts will focus on neighborhoods that lack adequate tree cover, such as East Boston and parts of Dorchester.
Most urban canopy trees are deciduous and reach at least 20 feet at maturity. They clean the air, sequester carbon from the atmosphere, reduce flooding and soil erosion, beautify neighborhoods, and afford a calm spot to residents.
Grow Boston Greener’s implementation began this summer, following Menino’s announcement, with a program in the Grove Hall area of Roxbury. Interns from UEI’s Sustainable Cities Program worked with area residents to plant trees. As soon as next summer, the work will expand to other high priority neighborhoods.
Other new programs, including tree stewardship workshops, targeted community outreach, and large scale community plantings in high traffic areas will begin soon. All of the new programs share the goals of increasing tree stewardship, educating about urban forest issues, expanding canopy tree coverage, and ensuring the long-term health of Boston’s urban forest.
Where will the trees come from? The City promises to plant 12% of the 100,000 goal. The Parks Department has committed to filling all the street tree pits in Boston in the next 2 years. Energy can then be put into cutting and filling new tree pits on sidewalks. The DCR is also on board to plant 3,000 trees over the coming 14 years. This leaves a large number of trees to be planted by residents, businesses and nonprofits like EarthWorks.
There is enormous potential for planting new trees on private property. Trees typically live longer in yards than they do in the harsh soil conditions of salty and compacted street pits, while still providing many of the same public benefits as street trees. Therefore, EarthWorks’ contribution to increasing tree canopy will focus on enlisting and educating homeowners and tenants who can act as stewards for trees in their own yards.
The Setback Tree Project, started in fall 2006, does just this - planting trees in front yards on private property. The project is being piloted in Jamaica Plain in collaboration with the grassroots volunteer group JP Trees. With adequate funding and support, it will expand into other neighborhoods.
EarthWorks also coordinates several other canopy-expanding projects through its Urban Forestry Program. EarthWorks’ community forestry projects, such as the Urban Wilds program, work with neighborhood partners to plan and implement plantings, mostly on public land. Volunteers from the Roslindale Wetlands Taskforce (an EarthWorks partner) helped to plant 50 trees to reforest a half-acre at the Eldon St. Urban Wild this spring. Our Youth Environmental Action (YEA) program, which trains youth in green space renewal and landscaping projects, planted 80 trees and shrubs, 20 of which qualify as canopy trees that contribute to the UTC goal.
Efforts to increase Boston’s tree canopy can be accompanied by challenges. Though the value of trees may seem obvious to many, education on the importance of trees is crucial to the success of these programs. Trees and the maintenance of an urban forest may not seem a priority alongside the more basic concerns that fill the time and minds of residents and policymakers, but the payoff in the long term will be undeniable. Planting and caring for the urban forest today will ensure a healthier and greener Boston for tomorrow’s generations.
If you live in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Roslindale, or Hyde Park, click here to find out more about receiving a setback tree for your property.
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