By Karen Buck
It is not easy being an urban tree! Urban trees have to endure unnatural conditions: excessive heat, drought, storm water runoff from impervious surfaces, poorly conditioned soil, vehicular pollution, road salt, road construction, sidewalk installations, water and sewer lines work, pest and disease invasions, and public complaints. Many trees die on a daily basis in cities where mature tree canopy is most needed
But Malden’s public trees have their own Lorax, the defender of forests: tree warden, Chris Rosa. According to the Massachusetts Tree Warden and Forestry Association, a tree warden is defined as “a person in charge of shade trees on public town lands [who has …] the unique legal responsibility to guard public resources against destructive forces that might include persons, insects, or diseases.”
Rosa’s inspiration to create the arboretum piqued in April of 2023, while doing regular rounds of the Forest Dale cemetery. Rosa noted over 100 tree stumps just left to rot.
Rosa pondered, “Where did these trees go? When were they cut down?”.
He estimated the trees were cut down about 30-40 years ago and started a mental inventory of the living species in the cemetery: White Spruce, Sugar Maples, uncommon Black Birch, Oak, Sassafras, Hickory, Tulip Tree. Rosa counted 65 different species after a week of recording and mapping the trees, not all of them healthy.
Rosa thought to himself, “Wow, So many different species. Whoever designed this place and planted these trees over a hundred years ago was either a really good [designer] or it was a perfect accident. Who plants Katuro, Black Oak, Black Birch? These trees don’t exist anywhere else in the city.”
That is when the arboretum took root and has continued to burgeon.
The Arboretum at Forest Dale easily qualified and is registered as a Level One arboretum. A Level One arboretum requires at least 25 different species and one public event. Forest Dale cemetery is the home for 90 different species of trees, including newly planted trees. It joins the ranks of other metro Boston arboretum cemeteries in Newton, Milton, Cambridge, Watertown, and others. Arbnet, the Interactive Community of Arboreta accredits arboreta through their program. The Morton Register of Arboreta is a comprehensive list and database of arboreta and public gardens that have a substantial focus on woody plants.
The public response has been positive.
The Malden Legislative Delegation earmarked $75,000 from the State budget to the Forest Dale Arboretum for funding young trees, signage, solar lighting and tree tags. The public requested city fruit trees. Rosa planted the Malden Orchard on a rocky ledge in Forest Dale. Another future endeavor is a rose garden that the New England Rose Society is planning to plant and maintain.
One important and favorite feature is the pond at the arboretum. The water quality, algae pollution, and drain work are all being tested monthly and maintained at healthy levels. One challenge is the water table which drops during the more frequent droughts. Rosa maintains a healthy water level for the pond through a hydrant. The hydrant is located by a storm drain that leads to the pond; flowing the hydrant water restores the water level during excessively dry periods. Restoring the wall around the pond would help maintain the water level when the surrounding banks are dry and tend to absorb the pond water.
“The other goal for the arboretum is to become self-sufficient for the future,” Rosa explained. “Once the cemetery is full, the revenue will end. Forward thinking includes an idea to generate revenue through educational tree tours.”
The first unofficial tour will be with Essex Technical Agriculture class, he said, as trade schools are a good example of who will pay for guided tours.
“People walk through here and all they see are trees. Now, nobody really pays attention,” Rosa said.
Soon, the tree tags on the different types of trees here will inform visitors about the scientific names and the nature of the species. Educational tours will share information including common pests and diseases.
“This will be a great place for people to visit” Rosa said, adding that an additional benefit is that this knowledge can be translated to residential backyards.
Rosa is developing an interactive walking map of the tree inventory incorporated with the tree tags. There will be volunteer opportunities after the first official tree tours for the public, most likely to occur this spring. The National Arbor Day Celebration, which falls on April 25 of 2025, will be the next citywide event. A perennial garden is on the near horizon. And, ultimately, future goals include increasing and diversifying the tree inventory and creating public events to qualify for the upper levels of certified arboreta.
The Malden community pitches in to help plant and learn about our trees.
Rosa compiled a 45-page booklet, Tree List and Planting Guidelines, of Malden’s current and future array of tree species. New nonnative and noninvasive species will be introduced to Malden and surrounding areas. These new species will more easily adapt to the warming climate than some of our more vulnerable native trees.
“This will be something nice for the future. It will create an interest in Malden,” Rosa said, adding, “Perhaps, our schools will develop a horticultural or green infrastructure curriculum or the trade schools will use the arboretum as one of the few accessible metro Boston gardens.”
A Chinese proverb is best suited for Rosa’s efforts: “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
种一棵树最好的时间是二十年前。第二个最好的时间就是现在
Most of the photos in this story were taken from the Malden Tree Warden (public) Facebook page. Credit is noted when indicated.
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