Fall River gets greener

By WILLIAM A. MONIZ - Southcoast Today

October 07, 2014 5:22 PM

Slender Silhouette Sweetgum, Stewartia, and Persian Parrotia are three of the trees newly planted in Fall River Oct. 4.

In collaboration with the United States Forest Service and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, a program called Greening the Gateway Cities [see info at http://www.mass.gov/eea/pr-2014/tree-program.html] arrived with 43 new saplings installed around the Maplewood section of Fall River over the weekend.

The initiative was funded by a grant from the Cities of Service Impact Volunteering Fund, a multimillion dollar fund administered by Cities of Service and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies to help cities use volunteers to tackle pressing local challenges.

Initially, the cities of Fall River, Chelsea, and Holyoke were selected for the tree-planting program. In partnership with the city, the Fall River Street Tree Planting Program (FRSTPP) was the community organization selected to support the initiative locally.

"We were extremely fortunate to have been the recipient of the trees," FRSTPP President Mary Ann Wordell said. "Fellow grant contract manager Louise Kaczynski and I met some great people who share our love of trees and recognize the enormous benefits they bring to a community."

According to Wordell, aerial photography helped identify parts of the city with low tree density. Both the Maplewood and Sandy Beach sections were singled out as the areas in greatest need. Residents had the option of adopting trees on the sidewalks in front of their homes or in their front yards.

Wordell said the residents of both sections responded positively to the program and additional phases of the grant will provide opportunities for more trees in 2015.

Wordell said that adopting a tree is not to be taken lightly because of the benefits trees provide:

• Helping clean rivers and streams
• Cutting air-conditioning costs by as much as 30 percent in the summer
• Acting as wind breaks in the winter, reducing heating costs by as much as 20 percent
• Cleaning the air by absorbing gases and removing pollutants

 

"The city's Department of Community Maintenance devoted a great deal of time and energy to getting the job done," said Wordell, specifically singling out DCM employee John Perry and Neighborhood Development Outreach Coordinator Perry Long.

"My sincere thanks to the members of the tree committee and to the tree stewards who have planted over 100 trees associated with this grant," Wordell said.

 

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