Part of running a Department of Public Works is a balancing act. The criticism about the Greenfield DPW (My Turn column July 6) is a little skewed.
In 2015, the DPW planted a variety of trees throughout the downtown proper area. Total number was 63 trees of which only two did not survive. In 2016, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments received a grant for 30 trees and the town planted an additional 66 trees for total of 96 trees. Every one of these trees has a water bag attached to it and the DPW fills that bag twice a week.
We attempt to locate the trees in front yards or in grass strips that are larger than 4-foot in width. For every tree that we plant, the DPW performs a dig safe to ensure that we are not planting a tree next to or on top of a utility line.
Planting street trees today is a whole lot different than it was a hundred years ago. We have pavement, we have sidewalks, we have telephone poles with utility lines and a population has grown significantly. Today, we have to accommodate automobiles, bicyclists and ADA requirements.
That was not true 100 years ago. Hundred years ago, you had dirt roadways and grass paths. You took your horse or your buggy to town.
When the elm trees died in the ’50s and ’60s, they were replaced with Norway maples. This was a very poor choice and one that was made by nearly every community in New England. Those trees were planted 50 to 70 years ago and are quickly dying out.
We do have a list that is in the new tree ordinance of recommended trees. Those trees are, for the most part, native species like American elms, maples, oaks, and some pines. When we evaluate a site, we tried to recommend an appropriate tree for that site. We try not to plant trees underneath power lines and if we do, they are the smaller variety trees such as crab apples.
Our list is not locked in stone and we will entertain additional trees that are not on that list. Again, we do not live a hundred years in the past and the best place for trees today is to be planted behind the sidewalk on private property.
We maintain a list at the DPW office for any homeowner that wishes to get a tree in their yard and we will do the best we can to accommodate. Just call Janine Greaves and she will put your name on that list and next spring, we will contact you when we have trees available. For the most part we will even ask you what tree you would like and, if it fits, we will do our best to plant that tree on your property.
We also do our best to plant a large variety of trees to develop some resiliency. Last thing we would like to have happen is a Dutch elm disease or an Asian longhorn beetle wipe out all of our trees. When we plant a tree, we do have some compost and loam that we put into the hole. Just a few additional bullets:
The DPW for the last two years has worked very closely with the Greening Greenfield group and the Greenfield tree committee.
The trees behind the DPW were given to the DPW several years ago. They are not high-quality stock but we have used them at several parks or open areas.
The sweetgums near Hope and Olive were recommended and selected by the council of governments and we agree they are not the right trees for that location.
We have a very limited budget ($5,000 per year). We have been able to supplement this budget with donations from Berkshire Gas Company, Eversource, Kostanski Funeral home and others.
Murphy Park was completely cleaned up this spring. Currently it is being used as a staging area for the Leyden Road water main project that should be finished up by the end of July. When all that staging material is removed, we plan to loam and seed the entire lower end. We have also built an earthen berm to keep the water on site and not erode the embankment.
Don Ouellette is director of the Greenfield Department of Public Works.