MONTAGUE — Five new trees, one in each village, will be planted Friday and Saturday in public ceremonies to celebrate Arbor Day as part of what the Tree Advisory Committee hopes is a growing tradition.
Arbor Day is typically recognized on the last Friday of April, said David Detmold, chair of the Montague Tree Advisory Committee. This year and in recent years it was officially recognized by the Montague Selectboard.
Montague, for the past four years, has celebrated this holiday by planting a new tree in each of its five villages. Hopefully, Detmold said, this will become a tradition, although it was put on hold last year because of the pandemic.
“It’s a growing tradition. Let’s put it that way,” Detmold said. “This year, more than ever, we are glad to be maintaining this tradition. We’ve all been looking forward to the day when we can once again see our downtown village centers and commercial districts opening up safely and thriving again. Part of a flourishing district is healthy and verdant tree belts.”
The trees that are being planted are provided by a U.S. Forest Service grant program that Montague has been involved in since 2018.
Montague has planted hundreds of new trees because of this grant. Detmold said that it effectively reversed a trend of the town losing more trees each year than it could afford to replace.
The grant program, which also supports similar multi-year projects in Greenfield and North Adams, was originally planned to last three years, but is expected to be extended for an extra year or two to make up for the pandemic, according to Melissa Patterson of the Franklin Land Trust, which distributes the funding to local municipalities.
Residents can request that trees be planted near their homes in a public tree belt, as another part of that grant, Detmold said. Or, if a resident is willing to accept ownership of the tree, it can be planted on their private property.
To request a tree, call Tree Advisory Committee Chair David Detmold at 413-863-9296.
The tree plantings on Friday and Saturday are open to the public. Part of the town’s goal for Arbor Day is to draw awareness to the value of public trees, Detmold said.
Likewise, in Greenfield, Arbor Day will be celebrated by planting trees at the Bank Row pocket park at noon on Friday, and at Elm Terrace from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
The schedule for Montague’s tree plantings is as follows:
■Friday, 11 a.m. — 370 Montague City Road, Montague City.
■Friday, noon — Avenue A, Fourth Street alley, Turners Falls.
■Friday, 1 p.m. — Highland Park, Millers Falls.
■Friday, 5 p.m. — Rutter’s Park, Lake Pleasant.
■Saturday, 10 a.m. — Montague Center Post Office, Montague Center.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.