New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s volunteer Community Tree Stewards in action in Worcester.
It’s that magical time of the year when we hit the streets with our Community Tree Stewards and steward young street trees in Worcester. This year, with the social constraints resulting from COVID restrictions, our bi-weekly outdoor COVID safe outings are important for more than just the trees. They are also a social outlet. We care for the trees and that care helps us to connect with one another.
People interested in pruning street trees learn the basics of tree care through our annual Master Tree Stewards Class Series held by New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. This series is held each October for five consecutive weeks. In the class, students learn from a variety of well trained tree professionals: biologists, urban tree professors, foresters, GIS experts and community organizers. New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill staff contribute their expertise on such topics as street tree identification and basic pruning techniques. There is ample opportunity for questions and feedback and we also use the class as a way to engage with people in our community.
Young trees, much like young people, can heal from wounds much quicker than older ones. Therefore, in an urban setting, it is important to correct structural problems, such as weak branch attachments, double leader competition and limbs growing into the sidewalks or streets, while the tree is young. It is also safer to deal with smaller tree wood than wait until the branches are large and heavy.
Working on trees this past week, we felt good about the structural problems we corrected on the young urban trees. We cleaned up broken branches, cut back double leaders, and thinned out the canopies that harbored crossing branches and branch “suckers.” We were greeted by neighbors who were appreciative of our work and who asked questions about their trees. We worked in teams of two – being careful to wear masks and gloves – so we could decide on tree cuts together.
Currently, the trees we prune are planted in Worcester but we have worked on trees in public spaces outside of the city. If you wish to participate in this program, look for the October Master Tree Stewards Class. We welcome new tree stewards!