March 29, 2022
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah Greenleaf, Tree Warden
sgreenleaf@easthamptonma.gov
City of Easthampton to host a tree inventory event in which volunteers will collect data on a sample of the City’s public shade trees.
The Easthampton Department of Public Works and City Tree Warden, Sarah Greenleaf, are collaborating with UMass Arboriculture student, Lilly Lombard, to conduct a sample tree inventory on April 2, 2022. Several local volunteers will help examine two hundred public shade trees and collect information such as species, size, and overall condition of each tree. The data collection will occur in the general downtown region, providing the City some insight into the state of its public shade trees in its urban residential neighborhoods and commercial center.
Public shade trees are located along roadways throughout the City. These trees can be found in tree pits, like those along Union and Cottage streets, and in tree belts, like the large maples and hickories along the Park Street sidewalk. Public shade trees also exist along the edge of private properties where they meet the road or sidewalk. Chapter 87 of Massachusetts General Laws governs the preservation and activities of public shade trees throughout the Commonwealth.
Public shade trees are extremely important because of the multiple benefits they provide to our Easthampton community. The shade from these trees helps cool down buildings, asphalt, and people, which helps to mitigate the harmful Urban Heat Island Effect. Other positive effects of trees are mitigating stormwater runoff, providing habitat for pollinators, buffering the impact of wind and noise, storing carbon, and offering important aesthetic value.
A tree inventory is the first step in the successful management of an urban forest. Gaining a better understanding of the current condition of Easthampton’s public shade tree population will assist in making important management decisions and will ultimately help address the problem of urban canopy loss that is occurring throughout the nation.