Last Saturday we planted 22 trees in Grenville Park, on Church Street in Ware. The trees went in areas near the main parking area to provide a wide array of benefits to the community. Many thanks to Rebekah, Josh, Stuart, Haley, Joy, Ann, Peter, Jackie, John, Sylvia, Rayden, Rich, Tom, Rachel, Yoni and Cynthia. This was a kick-off event to our tree planting initiative in Ware, with a goal of planting 1,000 trees in downtown neighborhoods over the next three years.
The trees planted are ones that will grow tall and wide, others that will stay small and bring color to the Park. The first batch to get planted were red maples in a circle around an American basswood, planted between the ballpark and parking area. The red maples grow so fast that many fine roots had grown on top of the main root system, making it challenging to find the root flare. But we did it! Near the pavilion a linear planting of dogwoods and crab apple will provide pretty fall colors, while staying relatively small. On the far side of the ballfield more basswoods, service berry, and common hornbeam were planted.
A key element to their survival is to water the trees weekly for the next two growing seasons. Regular rainfall isn’t enough water to get the trees established. A deep watering, about 15 gallons, is needed. The arborists say that you can’t give a tree too much water in the first couple of years. Fortunately, the park staff can water the trees regularly.
Grant funding for this initiative came from the US Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration grant program and the Mass Department of Conservation & Recreation. The East Quabbin Land Trust is partnering with the Town of Ware, Baystate Mary Lane, and other community groups to promote tree planting in urban neighborhoods in Ware. To learn more, email Cynthia at [email protected].