City Grows Local and International Ties on Arbor Day

Arbor Day has been celebrated in the United States for over 150 years, with Massachusetts observing the day on the last Friday in April. When Arbor Day came on April 26^th of this year, the City of Boston Parks Department partnered with the non-profit group, Tree Eastie, to bring some tree-love to East Boston Memorial Park. Tree Eastie is dedicated to making East Boston greener and healthier by planting trees and increasing the canopy coverage across the neighborhood. So far, the group has raised funds and gathered volunteers to plant and care for over three hundred new trees – this year’s Arbor Day event added eight new trees to that total.

The Urban Forest Plan emphasizes that the stewardship of existing trees is a critical component of growing our tree canopy. Therefore, the Arbor Day event not only featured tree planting, but included much needed care for existing trees in the park. After planting the new trees, volunteers weeded, fertilized and mulched 30 trees that were added to the park last year. Additionally, professional trees crews from the Urban Forestry Division and city contractors showed up with equipment to prune larger trees. This work will improve tree health, structure and beauty for visitors to the park.

This Arbor Day celebration was made even more exciting with the participation of Mayor Wu and her special guest, Mayor Mejía of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who was visiting Boston at the time. After greeting the hard-working volunteers around the park, both mayors grabbed shovels and pitched in to help plant an oak tree along the walking path. In the years to come, visitors to the park will enjoy the shade from these new trees and appreciate the local and international effort to make East Boston greener!