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Chainsaws relentlessly buzzed for weeks. I was under the impression that this was due to pruning on the Arborway. Upon walking to Harvest Co-op on August 24, however, the stark truth was revealed. Large half-century shade trees, mostly maples, at 22-24 Custer Street still stood tall, but were missing their lush green tops. What was once an integral part of the urban canopy between Custer and St. Joseph Streets now only remained as bare trunks due to a condominium development initiative.

 

The following day I watched the workers cut the remaining towering trees on that back lot. Branch by branch fell with loud thuds that reverberated through the soles of my feet. Wood chips and upturned dirt thickened the air, coloring my feet charcoal. I stood aghast at the sight of destruction; the piercing crunching and grinding of the saw on those magnificent trees haunts my thoughts. The overwhelming noise drowned out any other sounds of life. Everything was still, seemingly to stop and witness this horrific scene.

 

At least seven grand trees were cut. Three more are slated: two maples and one smaller evergreen. Even though the new foundation is marked to stand 10 feet from most of the once-existing trees, the new developers refused to spare them. Patrick McKenna, a full time developer, and Joseph Taylor bought the property on August 13, 2007 and began cutting almost immediately. I met Joe Taylor one morning while they were clearing the stumps. He replied to my plea to save the remaining trees (along the side fence) with a shrug, “We have to put a driveway in.” I pointed out that these are the last remaining of many trees on the property and asked if they have plans to plant new trees. “We will not put trees this big in.” Yet it is the larger trees that provide the greatest benefit and I explained to him that those trees create a huge amount of shade to protect the surrounding homes from the summer’s intense heat. “There’s nothing we can do,” he responded.

 

This is where a citywide tree-protection policy comes into play. It is essential that significant shade trees on private property are protected from, sometimes inevitable, development, particularly when the circumferences of the trunks are greater than our arms can wrap around. These trees play a key role in preserving the urban forests, which help maintain a community’s health, safety, and charm.

 

Select members of JP Trees (a grassroots community group in Jamaica Plain) have already begun the preliminary research for developing a citywide tree ordinance on private property, which already exists in Brookline and Cambridge. Jim Hunt, the Chief of Environment and Energy Department for the Mayor’s office, has been receptive to the idea of a Boston-wide tree policy. Nonetheless, Mayor Menino needs to hear that this is a priority for a large part of his constituency.

 

Though the Mayor announced in April a program to plant 100,000 additional trees in Boston, it is difficult to envision progress when developers in Jamaica Plain have been more apt to clear-cut trees, rather than preserve them. (Without protecting existing trees, we will never reach the Mayor's goal of net 100,000 trees in Boston.) Some recent examples of tree-clearing on private property include, but are not limited to: Grotto Glen Road, properties on Chestnut Avenue, 33 Bynner Street, as well as Evergreen and Day Streets. There are also homeowners who have taken it upon themselves to remove grand shade trees from their yards, most notably on street corners, where the shade is crucial. Two of these incidents have occurred at 45 Goldsmith Street and 125 Paul Gore Street.

 

While some of the close neighbors and I observed the cutting of the trees at 22-24 Custer Street, they expressed deep distress at the loss of something they considered a vital part of their block. There is concern about the wildlife that was living in those trees, as they commented on how the removal of these trees will change the ecosystem in this area. Not only were the trees home to animals, but as I told Joe Taylor, they also provided a significant amount of shade to the surrounding homes, which is essential as summers are growing increasingly warmer in the northeast. Another neighbor suggested that JP will ultimately resemble Somerville’s jungle of concrete and asphalt if the loss of trees continues.

 

In addition to a tree-protection policy, people also need to be educated about the broad benefits that trees provide. I believe it is this lack of knowledge in many cases, rather than sheer maliciousness, that accounts for the cutting of grand shade trees on private property. Providing a voice for the trees is one reason why JP Trees toils on through mud and snow; or as Dr. Seuss so eloquently wrote, "I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues."

Written by: Melissa Moore

published in the JP Gazette