Since moving to Greenfield, we seem unable to get through a day, or night, without thinking and dreaming about trees.
When we bought our house, which was surrounded by nothing more than lawn, our attention was taken by the giant American sycamore on the tree belt in front of our house. I called an acquaintance, Dennis Ryan, who is a retired arborist and professor at the University of Massachusetts. I described our tree, which we believed was a sycamore, but were not sure. He asked if it shed lots of bark, as well as leaves. I gritted my teeth and said yes; it was always shedding bark. American sycamore it is, not a London plane tree, which has a similar and handsome mottled bark.
The only other tree in front of our house is a lilac tree. This Japanese lilac tree is a true syringa. When it bloomed after we took possession of our house in June 2015, we were thrilled with the large white panicled blossoms that were so fragrant they perfumed our entire yard. It took a little research to discover its name, but I soon began to notice that a number of Japanese lilac trees are being planted in town. It doesn’t seem to be on many lists of recommended town trees, but I think it should be. It grows to about 25 feet tall, with a similar spread and blooms through June in our region.
We got those beauties with the house, but we wanted trees for the back garden, as well. The first concern is to plant the right tree in the right spot. Our choice was river birch because it loves wet soil. River birch has exfoliating bark, a clumping habit and will grow to 40 to 70 feet. It has grown well and is now about 20 feet tall. We liked it so much, we planted another in the same bed.
Trees are an important part of our domestic landscapes, providing shade and interesting form and color to delight our eyes as it dances in the wind or changes color from delicate greens in the spring and brilliant color in the fall. While there is no denying the aesthetic delight of trees, there are the services that trees provide. They clean our air, provide oxygen, cool our cities, create barriers for unattractive views, muffle the sound of busy streets, and provide food for insects and birds that eat the insects, as well as a dozen other benefits.
Trees are important to the streetscapes of our town. Greenfield has tree wardens who can work with residents who want trees on their street. In addition, Greening Greenfield is a community organization designed to increase the sustainability of our town. One element of their goal is to increase the number of trees lining our streets.
Like all of us, trees have a lifetime. Once there were giant elms marching up and down Main Street, providing beauty, shade and a sense of stability. Then, Dutch elm disease hit Greenfield’s Main Street and elms all over the country. There are ongoing efforts to replace the street trees in Greenfield. I’m sure we have all seen young trees planted by the town on the tree strip or on the front lawns of residences with their watering bags.
My neighbor Wendy Sibbison and I are interested in getting more trees on our street. When Sibbison was on the Town Council 20 years ago, she was instrumental in getting a number of trees planted on our street, but some of them have died. Other trees on the street are simply old and failing. We met with the town tree wardens, Paul Ratskevitz and Mike Duclos, and they gave us a list of the trees that the town usually plants. They explained that residents can request a tree, or trees, for their street, and their name will be put on a waiting list. There is not a lot of money for street trees in the town budget, so it is hard to say how long residents will have to wait. It is also possible for a resident to buy a street tree themselves, and the town will plant it, and maintain it for a year with a water bag. In that case, it is possible that the tree will be planted much more quickly.
Sibbison pointed out that the trees on our street are planted on residents’ lawns, where the tree roots are less constricted and there is less stress from road salt. Paul Raskevitz said they prefer planting trees on lawns for that very reason. In fact, Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.) Chapter 87, Section 7, specifically allows towns and cities to plant trees within 20 feet of the public right of way. These trees are considered to be ‘public shade trees.’ Aside from the benefit to the tree, planting on a lawn lessens the problems of hitting public utility lines under the tree strip or the power lines above it.
A town without trees is sad. A country without trees is in need. The Artspace Gallery on Mill Street is presenting an exhibition of “Assemblages” by Andy Rothschild to benefit the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice in their 10,000 Trees for Vietnam project. The goal is to restore biodiversity to central Vietnam, which was heavily sprayed with herbicides, including Agent Orange, during the war. Rothchild’s simple images of those landscapes are jolting. Artspace Gallery is open Monday through Friday.
Pat Leuchtman has written and gardened since 1980. www.commonweeder.com