Just think of Cambridge as a Forest with Buildings *
As I watched two new trees being planted in our next-door Front Park, I wondered: What kind are they? Who’s planting them? At about the same time, I received an invitation to a Green Cambridge Zoom discussion of the Cambridge Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP). I had heard of the UFMP last year when I spoke with Gary Chan of the Cambridge Development Department. about Triangle Park across the street. He had said that, as a result of the year-long Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP), it was determined that East Cambridge had “less of a tree canopy” than other areas of Cambridge and, as a result of this, the department took another look at the original plan for Triangle Park.
What is the Cambridge urban forest and why study it?
The Cambridge Urban Forest (sometimes referred to as its tree canopy) is all the trees in Cambridge--trees on streets and in parks, on private properties and campuses. Our city’s network of trees has many important functions:
· Creating shade around our homes and shaping civic spaces where we gather together as a community
· Making our city cooler in summer
· Cleaning the air we breathe
· Supporting living ecosystems, benefiting water quality and providing food and habitat for mammals, birds, and insects.
Additionally, trees are so important that research has shown that children growing up with greener surroundings, even just a city street near a park, have a significantly lower risk of developing stress related conditions later on. Studies in the growing field of ‘ecotherapy’ have shown a strong connection between time spent in nature and reduction of stress, anxiety, depression, increased creativity and empathy, lowered blood pressure and improved immune systems. (If you’re interesting in learning more, check out Nature Fix by Williams.) In fact, nature bonding, in the form of ‘forest bathing’,shinrinyoku, is standard preventive medicine in Japan where walking in and exposure to forests are used to treat depression, reduce stress and improve mental health in general. Some doctors are now writing prescriptions (Vitamin N) for children to ‘go outside’. There is no doubt that more trees and healthier trees mean a healthier city. https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media/Files/publicworksdepartment/Forestry/healthyforesthealthycity.pdf
We also know that there’s a link between experiencing the natural world and behaving in a sustainable way. Studies suggest that spending more time with Nature has long-term implications for how we treat each other and how we can diminish our thirst to consume. So, the more we bond with nature, the healthier and kinder we will be – toward each other and toward the natural environment. See more in “Are you Suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD)? Here’s a Neighborhood Cure”
What’s this about the social life of trees and the ‘Wood Wide Web’?
Trees appear to communicate and cooperate, even trees of different species. Ecologist Suzanne Simard’s 30 years of research has led to “an astounding discovery--- trees talk over vast distances, through the fungal growths on their roots, sometimes referred to as the ‘wood wide web’”. She has found that “Carbon, water, nutrients, alarm signals and hormones can pass from tree to tree through these fungal networks. Resources tend to flow from the oldest and biggest trees to the youngest and smallest. Chemical alarm signals generated by one tree prepare nearby trees for danger. Seedlings severed from the forest’s underground lifelines are much more likely to die than their networked counterparts. And if a tree is on the brink of death, it sometimes bequeaths a substantial share of its carbon to its neighbors.” Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/02/magazine/tree-communication-mycorrhiza.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=The%20New%20York%20Times%20Magazine And watch Simard’s TED talk “How Trees Talk to Each Other” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un2yBgIAxYs
I wonder how long it will take for the new trees in Front Park to ‘hear’ from the older ones via their underground network of roots?
How does the Cambridge urban forest canopy compare with other comparable urban areas?
This list below shows reported Urban Forestry canopy cover for other cities.
Atlanta, Georgia 32.9%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 21.6%
Boston, Massachusetts 21.2%
Oakland, California 21.0%
Cambridge, Massachusetts 20.0%
Baltimore, Maryland 18.9%
New York, New York 16.6%
Chicago, Illinois 11.0%
What is the UFMP?
It was a year-long study of the tree canopy in Cambridge concluding with the Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) that includes a “strategic plan to evaluate, maintain and expand the urban forest canopy while being more resilient to climate change, reducing the urban heat island effect, mitigating storm water runoff, reducing nutrient runoff, and contributing to community well-being.” For more information see: https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/publicworks/Initiatives/urbanforestmasterplan a
And in a recent Cambridge Chronicle, an article, “Study: How Cambridge can avoid worsening its rapidly declining tree canopy”, recaps the urban forest plan:
Reed-Hilderbrand the landscape architect firm hired to work on the project notes that “Cambridge is home to 80,000 trees that provide shade and comfort to 120,000 residents across 4,500 acres… But our urban canopy is in decline, losing some 16 acres of coverage per year since 2009. The Cambridge Urban Forest Master Plan is a data-driven, climate-forward project that models scenarios over a fifty-year horizon… Our goal is a healthy urban forest accessible to all of Cambridge. “ https://www.reedhilderbrand.com/
What is Green Cambridge and how has it been involved?
To find out more, I spoke with Steven Nutter, Green Cambridge’s executive director, originally a city planner. He has worked hard to see that the organization continues to “Bring people together to create a new future”, one that includes urban farms, urban tree canopies, and collaboration between private and public sectors. “You know”, he says, “It’s a new thing for us to think of cities as forests with buildings. Imagine Cambridge as just that ---a forest with buildings. We all need some help wrapping our heads around that thought….. it’s visionary, long term thinking.” *
Green Cambridge’s mission includes creating “opportunities for the discovery and reconnection with each other in our local environments…we connect people to the beauty of trees, the magic of growing, and the understanding of habitats for more equitable neighborhoods and connected communities.” (See more on their web site, https://www.greencambridge.org/ ) In fact, a Green Cambridge urban farm is nearby us at 213 Hurley Street. See Steven in the video at the bottom of https://www.greencambridge.org/farms.html Visit sometime—it’s an easy walk. Another innovative initiative is their City Youth Program in Urban Forestry. “It’s a great career path in addition to helping the city. As more cities understand the importance of tree canopies, there will be more and more jobs available in the urban forestry field in the future. And we’ve had many Cambridge youth in our program and plan to continue with it.”
Green Cambridge was instrumental in getting the UFMP started. They organized a petition and asked the city of Cambridge for an Urban Forest Task Force. At that point, the relationship with the city began around this project. Steven says that Cambridge is great to work with. “They want to do what’s best and, at that point, Reed-Hildebrand won the contract and, then, the pieces came together.” The result was the UFMP and it is one of the few in the country. It’s comprehensive and points to the future. To be approved will be just the first steps of many but a wonderful start to improve Cambridge’s tree canopy and the health of the city. Steven added that the Triangle Park is going to be a great park and worth waiting for so we can look forward to that. All except Steven are volunteers at Green Cambridge.
What about Triangle Park?
As mentioned before, Gary Chan said that, as a result of a year-long Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) that determined that East Cambridge has “less of a tree canopy” than other areas of Cambridge, the department took another look at the original plan for Triangle Park. It was decided to save the original trees on the site and add more trees than were included in the original plan. For more information see: https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/publicworks/Initiatives/urbanforestmasterplan
The plan is to begin the work in Triangle Park in the spring of 2021. Stay tuned!
What are the trees are in Front Park and how can I find out more about the trees in Cambridge?
Front Park trees include Callery pear trees that are the largest trees with the beautiful white blossoms in the spring and leaves that turn red-orange in the fall; the smaller crab apple trees along the buildings on both sides; and a few American Linden trees on the riverside. More about them and other tree plantings in Cambridge can be found at: https://gis.cambridgema.gov/dpw/trees/trees_walk.html
What’s an interesting fact about one special Callery Pear tree?
A Callery pear tree became known as the “Survivor Tree” after surviving the September 11, 2001 terror attacks at the World Trade Center. In October 2001, a severely damaged tree was discovered at Ground Zero, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches. The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. After its recovery, the tree was returned to the Memorial in 2010. New, smooth limbs extended from the gnarled stumps, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and present. Today, the tree stands as a living reminder of resilience, survival, and rebirth.
https://www.911memorial.org/visit/memorial/survivor-tree
What can we do to help?
The UFMP will be up for a vote sometime early in 2021 and Steven Nutter from Green Cambridge encourages Cambridge residents to contact their city councilors to vote in favor. More information can be found at https://www.cambridgema.gov/Services/urbanforestry And, Green Cambridge can always use some help either in labor or funds. Check out https://www.greencambridge.org/donate.html
I have not yet discovered what the new trees are or who has planted them. I will keep looking and keep you posted. And, if any of our readers have any information, please let us know. But, we know, more trees are good news and thank whoever has added them to ‘our’ park!
--- Jane Hilburt-Davis