News Stories 2017-2018
Trees for Watertown Stewardship Program. With grant support from the Watertown Community Foundation and Trees for Watertown, a team of six local teens learned how trees grow and their benefits, how to care for trees, and explored ways to help Watertown's trees and share what they learn with the Watertown community.
The program continued in 2018 with a new name: Teens for Trees.The Summer 2018 program was a great experience for the teens and tremendously helpful for Watertown. Take a look at the T4T 2018 Final Report to see what our hardworking interns did. The success of our program was also noted by the Boston Sunday Globe Metro section.
Our 2017 Tree Stewardship Teams from 2017 (top) and 2018 (bottom).
Congratulations to this year's student winners of Trees For Watertown's Big Tree Contest! Cameron Burke from Cuniff School found a 63" diameter maple tree at 17 Nyack Street, Lily Finton from Hosmer School found a 65" diameter linden tree at 24 Garfield Street, Liiana Ng from the 3rd grade at Hosmer School found a 58" diameter oak tree on the Hosmer playground, and Ryland Schrader from Hosmer School found a 54" diameter sycamore on Casey Playground.
Honorable Mentions went to Nairi Davidian from the Lowell School who found a 49" diameter willow tree at 239 Edenfield Avenue; Caleb Kaufman from the Cuniff School who found a 34" diameter spruce tree in Ridgelawn Cemetery, and Annabel Sasser from the Atrium School who found a giant beech measuring 79" in diameter at 249 Common Street. Annabel also found a huge rare pignut hickory tree at 183 Common Street.
Lily Finton with the winning 65" diameter Linden at 24 Garfield Street.
News Stories 2014-2015
June 2015: Watertown Town Council unanimously approved the following tree-protective language in Watertown's Design Guidelines:
“Design must allow for proposed trees to grow to their mature size. Planning documents should specify measures to ensure that there is sufficient space for water penetration and root growth and that the location is appropriate to the mature size of the proposed tree.”
This formal acknowledgement of the importance of trees as critical green infrastructure is a real first, a watershed moment for Watertown. Now to make sure Watertown can follow through!
April 2014 and May 2015: Osage Orange trees planted
On Saturday, April 5, 2014, TFW transplanted five Osage Orange trees from the Grove Street Community Garden tree nursery to street sites where neighboring citizens have volunteered to water them. The trees were first planted at the Grove Street Nursery, where they were cared for until planting.
Big thanks for a successful effort go to Watertown's Tree Warden Chris Hayward and Leo's Landscaping for preparing the planting sites, to our hard-working TFW transplant team, and to our volunteer neighborhood tree stewards!
Left: Genie Johnston with Osage Orange trees planted in 2014. Right: Here's the new Standish St. Osage Orange with two of its neighbor tree stewards.
News Stories 2011-2012
September, 2011: The Arsenal Apartments Courtyard will stay!
Gilbane Development Company, Rhode Island-based manager of Watertown's Arsenal Apartments housing for senior and disabled residents, intended to convert a tree-shaded central courtyard into a parking lot.
At a hearing on September 14, 2011, the Watertown Planning Board voted unanimously not to approve the project. Gilbane subsequently withdrew its petition for Zoning Board approval, which was required for the project to go forward.
CLICK HERE to see the presentation from Arsenal Apartments residents to the Planning Board in defense of the Courtyard.
CLICK HERE to see a slide show illustrating the value of this beautiful courtyard.
May, 2011: What is a tree worth?
In May, 2011, Trees for Watertown sponsored a moderated public conversation at the Watertown Public Library. Seven speakers gave 5-minute slide show presentations on the value of trees from the perspectives of their professions: energy conservation, real estate, public health, arboriculture, and religious guidance, as well as from the vantage points of a Watertown parent of young children and a Watertown town councilor. The discussion continued afterward with questions and comments from interested members of the public.
You can watch the full event on YouTube. The presentations begin at about 12 minutes into Part I (of 4). Total duration: 110 minutes
CLICK HERE to watch the video on YouTube
CLICK HERE to download a one-page description of the event
CLICK HERE to download the panelists' slides (3 MB PDF) including resources & web sites the panelists recommend
October 2012: Tree Planting to honor long-time environmental activist Janet Bunbury
On a sunny Saturday in October 2012, Trees for Watertown, the Church of the Good Shepherd, and several dozen friends and appreciators of Janet Bunbury joined Janet and her family on the front lawn at the Church, to plant a handsome "Valley Forge" elm in her honor. With good care and a bit of luck, this lovely shade tree will grace Mount Auburn Street for the next couple hundred years.
Read the story of the tree’s blessing by Pastor Amy McCreath.
See more photos here.
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