Video: Tiny forests in Quincy

Tree warden Dan Cathcart and resident Maria Andrews gave fun and fascinating presentations on mini Miyawaki forests at the main library in June. Watch their talks below.

June 25 library talk: Tiny Forests’ Big Benefits

When Maria Andrews moved back to her childhood home in Quincy Point, her backyard was barren – “all grass and one rhododendron,” she jokes. But two years ago, she planted more than 150 bare-root trees, shrubs, and ground cover plants on her property in an effort to create a tiny, crowded oasis known as a Miyawaki forest.

“It’s completely different now. Most trees have doubled in size, and the birch have outdone themselves – I have a birch almost to my second story,” she says. “And the wildlife I see is amazing. I saw hummingbirds last year for the first time.”

Mini forests offer a huge “ecological bang for your buck,” agrees city tree warden Dan Cathcart, who is planning to install one near the Quincy Adams T station this fall. The competition for sunlight makes the densely planted trees grow three to four times as fast as trees planted on their own. “You get all the same ecological services, from heat relief to contaminant filtration, but it comes faster,” says Cathcart. “The collective benefit of the individual trees is far less than the benefit of a forest.”

Andrews and Cathcart will discuss Miyawaki forests at the main library (40 Washington Street) on Tuesday, June 25, at 7 pm. The free talk is co-hosted by the Thomas Crane Public Library and the Quincy Tree Alliance, a volunteer organization dedicated to protecting and expanding the city’s tree canopy. For more information, visit thomascranelibrary.org/events-calendar and quincytreealliance.com.

This Miyawaki forest was planted in Cambridge’s Danehy Park

Maria Andrews is a lifelong resident of Quincy. She volunteers at Quincy Animal Shelter and is a member of Quincy's Invasive Species Management Committee. Maria is an animal advocate and nature lover who spends most of her time hiking in the woods with her dog, Sophia. 

Dan Cathcart is the city’s tree warden. He won a federal grant for $750,000 to plant trees in environmental justice areas in Quincy and hopes to use about $300,000 of that to plant the City’s first mini “Miyawaki” forest near Quincy Adams T station.

Watch: Our library talk on trees

Dan Cathcart (City of Quincy Tree Warden), Heather Charles Lis (City of Quincy Environmental Scientist) and Ryan Fawcett (Urban Forester from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation) discuss a variety of issues and topics regarding Quincy's trees.

Join April 10 walk at Forbes Hill Park

The City of Quincy plans to build a parking lot in the green space (horizontal grassy oval labeled “Forbes Hill Playground”) of Forbes Hill Park and to cut down some trees around it (Image: Google)

Last week, a concerned resident brought to our attention a City plan to pave over most of the open green space and to cut down a swathe of trees in Forbes Hill Park in order to create a parking lot for the neighboring Furnace Brook Golf Course, which the City is now running.

The resident has organized a walk of the park for tomorrow, Sunday, April 10, at 2 pm (see this flyer for more info - a Chinese version of which is here).

In response to an outcry this week from residents about the parking lot plan, the City just put out an amended version of the plan that includes a smaller parking lot.

Ian Cain, the city councilor for ward 3, where the park is located, announced the amended plan, which he said is not final, in a newsletter today. He also linked to a letter from Quincy's tree warden, Chris Hayward, who went out to the site on Friday and reported that:

• most of the trees in the swathe that might be removed are Scots pine, with the remainder being black cherry and a single mature red oak

• the Scots pine trees are in poor condition because they were pruned heavily over the years to allow cars to pass by and most are covered in poison ivy vines

• the black cherry trees are showing problems common to their species, including cavities and deadwood

• the healthiest tree appears to be a red oak that is 22 inches wide at breast height [which this website suggests is about 155 years old]

• any plan involving the expansion of parking for the golf course would be subject to the City's tree ordinance and would require a landscaping plan with trees intended to replace any cut down, planted in places where they can thrive

The Quincy Tree Alliance is just beginning to study this issue, but we are concerned about the planned removal of some of the park's mature trees, and about whether lack of maintenance of the park may have contributed to some of the trees' poor health.

We are heartened that the City has amended its plans in response to feedback from residents about its original plans, which were presented at a meeting on March 2. However, we believe the community should be involved from the very beginning in the planning process for any Quincy park, and that the City should hold community meetings about this park before any further work is done on its design.

We hope as many QTA members as possible will come learn about the park tomorrow.

Forbes Hill Park walk

100 Forbes Hill Road

Sunday, April 10, 2 pm

Meet at the historic tower

-The Quincy Tree Alliance Board

Which are the leafiest neighborhoods?

Brown areas are less leafy than green areas in tree equity maps like this one (Credit: American Forests)

Urban trees provide economic, social, environmental, and health benefits, but how do we ensure every community has the canopy they need? Join the Quincy Tree Alliance and the Thomas Crane Public Library for an online discussion on tree equity on February 15 at 7 pm.

Molly Henry, senior manager of climate and health at American Forests, will introduce the national Tree Equity Score Explorer tool that her organization developed for every urbanized area in the country. The tool shows that wealthier neighborhoods are often significantly leafier than poorer neighborhoods with more people of color. For example, about 50% of Boston’s West Roxbury neighborhood is shaded by trees, while that figure is less than 10% for East Boston. Henry will also go over Quincy’s canopy maps.

David Meshoulam, executive director of Speak for the Trees, Boston, will discuss his organization’s work on tree equity at the local level in Boston. “There are two sides to that tree equity equation,” he says. “One is who has access to trees and the benefits that trees provide. The other, that we’re working towards, is who has access to those workforce jobs in tree care. The work has to come from the community, for the community, by the community. A tree is not something that you plant and walk away from.”

Meshoulam will also briefly discuss legislation now being considered at the statehouse aimed at planting trees in the places that need it most, with the aim of reaching 60% tree canopy cover in Massachusetts cities and towns.

Finally, Quincy’s tree warden, Chris Hayward, will discuss new initiatives aimed at increasing the canopy coverage and tree equity here. One is a plan to offer reduced-cost tree plantings in the front yards of Quincy residents, and the other is a plan to get citizens involved in inventorying the trees here, which will help determine where new plantings are needed. “The inventory, when it’s completed, will be a huge tool,” says Hayward.

After short presentations, speakers will take questions from participants. To join the event, go to https://bit.ly/qtaequity on Feb. 15 at 7 pm, or dial (646) 558-8656 and enter meeting ID 838 7285 6404. You can also watch the event, either live or after the fact, at https://www.youtube.com/c/ThomasCranePublicLibrary.

Quincy Tree Alliance is a volunteer group that works to sustain and expand our city’s tree canopy. To learn more, visit quincytreealliance.com or email quincytreealliance@gmail.com.

Video: candidates’ environmental forum

If you missed the Quincy city council candidates’ forum on environmental issues on Oct. 7, have no fear - you can watch it below. Quincy Tree Alliance asked two questions at the forum, which was hosted by Quincy Climate Action Network.

Plant trees to honor COVID victims

Join us on Oct. 9 and 10 to commemorate the lives lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic by planting trees here in Quincy. The memorial project, called 4C Trees (Capture Carbon Commemorate COVID), began in Newton and was brought to Quincy by a passionate local college student.

Saturday, Oct. 9, 11 am - 2 pm: Passaganesset Park, next to the Quincy Youth Hockey Area

Sunday, Oct. 10, 11 am - 2 pm: Monroe Park, next to Pond Street

Hope to see you there!

Tree hearing on July 13

UPDATE on July 23: Watch the tree hearing below!

Tree warden Chris Hayward will hold a hearing on Tuesday, July 13, at noon, about 11 trees being considered for removal here in Quincy. The hearing is open to the public and will be held in person at the Quincy Parks & Rec meeting room at 1 Merrymount Parkway.

We encourage you to attend, or to write public comments that will be read at the meeting (send them to chayward@quincyma.gov by 11 am on July 13). To help provide context for those comments, below you’ll find QTA’s calculation of the benefits of the trees to neighboring houses and our position on each tree up for possible removal.

• Callery pears @ 97 East Howard Street

QTA’s position: Callery pear trees like these are prone to injury and are non-Native, with invasive tendencies, so QTA is not opposed to these trees being removed for a new development. That being said, we want the new development to include numerous and diverse trees in its plans for the property, and we would like to see those plans.

• Norway maple at 75 Ames St, 30 feet from two houses

(Image: David Shiga)

QTA’s calculation of this tree’s benefit to nearby houses:

• Energy savings per year: $20

Electricity Savings (A/C): 27 kWh

Fuel Savings (natural gas, oil): 1 MMBtu

• Lifetime carbon stored: 2.8 tons

• Carbon captured per year: 96 pounds

• Stormwater runoff avoided per year: 670 gallons
  
  

QTA’s position: We would like this healthy tree to remain, and for the DPW to include planning around trees when it does street improvements – both on the sidewalk and on the curb side. Ideally the DPW plans would include providing adequate soil volume for trees to grow to their maximum potential sizes.

• Norway maple at 79 Ames, 20 feet from house

(Image: Photo from Google Maps)

QTA’s calculation of this tree’s benefit to the homeowner at 79 Ames:

• Energy savings per year: $18

Electricity Savings (A/C): 19 kWh

Fuel Savings (natural gas, oil): 1 MMBtu

• Lifetime carbon stored: 4.5 tons 

• Carbon captured per year: 84 pounds

• Stormwater runoff avoided per year: 720 gallons
  
  

QTA’s position: The resident has other large canopy trees in their yard, making this one *somewhat* less critical to keep. However, expanding the driveway, a surface that does not allow water to pass through it, opposes the good that trees do in helping to take up water and reduce flooding. In addition, good tree cover in a neighborhood increases the value of houses by 6-9% ($34,000 - $52,000 per house based on average home price in Quincy, and that might be an underestimate in this neighborhood), so this resident and their neighbors might prefer to keep this healthy tree just for the financial benefits of living in a leafy neighborhood.

• Ash @ 93 Ames Street, 20 feet from house

(Image: David Shiga)

QTA’s calculation of this tree’s benefit to the homeowner at 93 Ames:

• Energy savings per year: $38

  • Electricity Savings (A/C): 40 kWh

  • Fuel Savings (natural gas, oil): 2 MMBtu

• Lifetime carbon stored: 4.1 tons

• Carbon captured per year: 94 pounds

• Stormwater runoff avoided per year: 1,500 gallons 

QTA’s position: We are looking forward to a discussion of the emerald ash borer and the risks it poses to ash trees of various health levels. Absent information to the contrary, we are likely to defer to the tree warden’s expertise on this tree. In any case, we would like to know if the city has an inventory of ash trees and their health, so that the healthiest might be preemptively treated with insecticides to prevent emerald ash borer infestations.

• Red oak @ 48 Miles Drive, 20 feet from house

(Images: David Shiga)

QTA’s calculation of this tree’s benefit to the homeowner at 48 Miles:

• Energy savings per year: $47

  • Electricity Savings (A/C): 152 kWh

  • Fuel Savings (natural gas, oil): 0.9 MMBtu

• Lifetime carbon stored: 7.4 tons 

• Carbon captured per year: 148 pounds 

• Stormwater runoff avoided per year: 3,000 gallons

QTA’s position: We want this healthy tree to remain. "Oaks support more forms of life and more fascinating interactions than any other tree genus in North America," writes scientist Douglas Tallamy in his new book, The Nature of Oaks. FYI: The city has information about tree roots and utility lines here. If a resident is sure that roots are causing issues in their pipes, the best remedy is to replace the section of pipe affected. Alternatively, the pipe can be rodded with a pruning head.

Please write in or attend the meeting in person!

QTA represents at Pride and Flag Day

Quincy Tree Alliance members had a great time chatting with folks at two recent in-person (!) events: the Quincy Pride Festival on June 6 and the Flag Day Parade on June 12.

Thank you to everyone who came over to talk, and to everyone at QTA who volunteered their time at the events. We hope to have many more in the future!

State Senator John Keenan stops by the joint Quincy Tree Alliance/Quincy Climate Action Network table at Quincy Pride (Image: Maggie McKee)

Quincy Tree Alliance members Syndie Cine and Lori Earl march in the Flag Day Parade (Image: Debra Worden)

QTA at Cleaner, Greener Quincy

Credit: Erin Santacroce

On May 1, members of the Quincy Tree Alliance joined organizers from Quincy Climate Action Network in cleaning up Grossman Park along Quincy Shore Drive. The event was part of the Cleaner, Greener Quincy community cleanup event that has been running for more than three decades.

Volunteers picked up many bags of trash and even found a nest of (duck?) eggs!

Credit: Erin Santacroce

Thank you, everyone, for a great inaugural event, and hope to see you again next year!

Credit: Erin Santacroce