The Boston Tree Alliance Tree Planting and Care Grant is now open and accepting applications for 2026!
With $1.2 million in total funding available, this grant supports tree planting and associated maintenance on private land across Boston, with a focus on under-canopied neighborhoods impacted by urban heat.
Learn more at https://boston.gov/tree-grants/
The lifespan of a tree planted in a typical US municipality is less than 15 years! Over the past 30 years, a ramped-up effort to plant street trees across the country has brought about a renewed effort towards the right tree, right place. The founder of Arbor Day, Joy Morton, set out to plan and plant for a more verdant, beautiful world. Polly Hill Arboretum Executive Director Tim Boland will share his story and describe how towns on-island can plan and plant in the face of climate change.
This April 28 presentation at 5 pm Eastern time is virtual. A Zoom link will be provided after registering. $10; FREE for PHA members. Proceeds benefit Polly Hill Arboretum. Register here: https://bit.ly/Street-Trees-Webinar
Learn the skills essential to urban and community forestry and become tree stewards in your community at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Tuesday nights, October 2 – 30, from 6 – 9. Topics covered include basic pruning techniques and safety, tree identification and biology, proper tree planting and care, tree pests and diseases, tree health assessment, and urban soil challenges. To complete this program, participants must commit to at volunteering for at least 20 hours in the urban forest of Worcester or at Tower Hill Botanic Garden.
Coordinated by Worcester Tree Initiative
Session 1:
Introduction to the program/Welcome
Basic Pruning Techniques & Safety in the Field – Classroom Training
The Value of Urban Trees
Hands-on Indoor Pruning
Field Tree ID
Session 2:
Hands-on Outdoor Tree Pruning
Tree Biology
Tree Diseases/Fungi
Tree ID
Session 3:
How to Properly Plant a Tree
Tree Establishment and Ongoing Tree Care
Tree Health Assessment Intro
Identifying Common Urban Trees
Session 4:
Community Pests/Diseases: How to Identify & What to do.
Soil, Plant Nutrition & Urban Soil Challenges
Tree Identification: Shapes of Leaves, Texture of Bark, Leaf Scars, etc.
Identifying Common Urban Trees
Session 5:
Evolving Forest – Migration of Pests and Change in Agricultural Zones
Tree Care Leadership in your Community
Test
Certificates/Volunteer Sign Up
SKILL LEVEL: ALL LEVELS. THBG members $120, nonmembers $140. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.
A bit of magic happens when The Arnold Arboretum invites three tree professionals to wander a landscape together. In this case, we have matched professor with former student and three individuals with differing experiences and expertise in woody plants. Nina Bassuk (pictured), a leader in urban tree research, was one of Michael Dosmann’s professors while he earned his doctorate at Cornell. Michael is responsible for curating the 15,000 specimens of the Arnold Arboretum. Andrew Gapinski, who has worked at several arboreta prior to his tenure at the Arnold Arboretum, is charged with the horticultural care of the Arboretum’s 281 acres. On this arboreal walk, they will speak as moved by the sights and sounds of the Arboretum’s living collection. We can’t define the topics they may cover on this walk, but we do know that you will gain a richer appreciation for trees and absorb some nuggets of botanical wisdom to share with others. The event takes place April 2 from 2:30 – 4, and participants will meet in the Hunnewell Building. Fee $10 Arboretum member, $20 nonmember
Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.
Urban and community forests are likely to be among the first ecosystems impacted by climate change since projected temperature increases will be exacerbated by urban heat island effects. Based on current climate projections urban trees will experience dramatically warmer temperatures during their lifespans than the climates under which they evolved. Identifying appropriate tree genotypes for future climates is fraught with uncertainty and the potential for unintended consequences. In this program, Dr. Bert Cregg, Associate Professor of Horticulture and Forestry at Michigan State University will discuss on-going research and the challenge of identifying landscape trees for a warmer world.
Dr. Bert Cregg is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist for landscape, nursery, and Christmas tree production at Michigan State University. His expertise includes stress physiology, plant nutrition, and plant response to environmental stresses. Dr. Cregg writes frequently on landscape and nursery topics regular and is regular contributor the MSU Extension News, the Michigan Landscape magazine, and the Great Lake Christmas tree journal. Prior to joining the MSU faculty in 1999, Dr. Cregg was a Tree Physiology Project Leader for International Paper and a Research Plant Physiologist of the USDA Forest Service. He earned his Ph.D. in Forest Resources at the University of Georgia and holds a Master of Science in Forestry from Oklahoma State University and Bachelor of Science in Forest Management from Washington State University.
Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-urban-tree-selection-in-a-changing-climate/#sthash.wMy5ZWyT.dpuf
Every new year comes with its own challenges for successful maintenance of healthy and attractive landscapes. These challenges include variable and unpredictable weather, insect pests, weeds and changing regulations. Join UMass Extension Educators at the UMass Cranberry Research Station, 1 State Bog Road in East Wareham on Thursday, April 3 from 10 – 3:30 for a day of learning about the latest research-based information to help you kick off a successful landscape management season. Topics include new nutrient regulations and BMPs for nutrient management, timely info on insect pests of landscape and urban trees, developing a landscape weed management program, principles of ecological landscaping, and finding the right plant for the right place. $75. Register online at https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1362516, or phone 508-295-2212, x 47. Photo below from the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscaping Association.
