THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, DECEmbEr 22, 2023 Page 9 Trees are your true friends The SAVE Green Living Column THEN: Tree advocates gathered at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site for a Bicentennial elm tree planting. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) H ave you ever wished you had more true friends – the type who will shelter you from a storm, the kind you can really lean on, the type who will be there for you? If so, then look no farther than a tree. A tree is a true and, possibly, a life-long friend. No one understands this better than the hardworking members of the Saugus Tree Committee. Now celebrating its 25th year, the Tree Committee had its start in January of 1998 when thenTown Manager Richard Cardillo announced the formation of a “tree planting committee.” SAVE co-president Ann Devlin and former tree committee leader Tim Hawkes were two of the original members of the committee, which first met in February 1998. Of course, friendship is a two-way street and the Tree Committee has a long list of accomplishments serving as friends and advocates of our urban forest. One of the group’s earliest accomplishments was the creation of the Saugus Tree Farm in 2003. Ann Devlin notes that at the time “there were so many trees coming down and no way to replace them. This was the impetus for the tree farm.” Longtime Tree Committee member Nancy Prag started the annual Arbor Day poster contest for Saugus’s fifth-graders 15 years ago and it is still going strong. (This year’s contest theme was “How Trees Make Us Happy.”) The group was also instrumental in creating a shade tree bylaw, which passed town meeting. In 2017, Saugus was named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation thanks to the work of the committee – and it remains a Tree City in 2023. To name just a few more of the Tree Committee’s numerous accomplishments, they maintain the Saugus Tree Farm and care for young saplings until they can be planted as Saugus street trees; the committee planted the now towering Saugus Bicentennial elm at the Saugus Iron Works; and the committee members meet regularly to help devise ways to expand our town’s tree cover and to protect and nurture its existing trees. And, if you want a tree planted, guess who you contact! All members of this hardworking committee serve as volunteers. However, the work they do is not without expenses. Formerly, the Tree Committee received $10,000 annually to cover the expenses of buying trees, caring for them until they are ready for planting and planting them. (Over the years, the Saugus DPW has helped the committee with digging holes, has moved bigger trees to planting sites and has contacted Dig Safe.) Currently, the Saugus Tree Committee receives no funding – and, to make matters worse, $60,000 was awarded for a study to see if the tree farm could be taken over to become part of the town cemetery. But don’t despair: There are many ways you can become a friend to trees and help improve the quality of life for everyone in Saugus. Contact Town Manager Scott Crabtree and ask him to support the Tree Committee. While you’re at it, please tell him that trees are the best and easiest defense against climate change. Contact your Town Meeting members and ask them to lobby for a request in funding in the 2025 fiscal year budget that begins next July 1. Sign up to volunteer during tree farm maintenance days. And, if you are able, make a contribution to the Tree Committee. Just $250 would plant a maple or a redbud along our town’s streets. One hundred red maple saplings can be NOW: A recent photo of the elm tree. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) purchased for $140. For more information or to become a volunteer, contact chairman Nancy Prag at NRPRAG@ GMAIL.COM or go to this section of the official Saugus website: https://www.saugus-ma.gov/tree-committee Trees help reduce the cost of both heating and cooling our homes. They sequester carbon and provide homes and food for wildlife. They help to stabilize soil and improve air quality. They enhance property values and make our streets safer for pedestrians – providing shade in the summer heat and clearly defining the boundaries of roadways. Support the Saugus Tree Committee and consider becoming a tree friend. You won’t regret it!
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