First Commemorative Tags Placed on Century Trees
First Commemorative Tags Placed on Century Trees
Together with Salem’s Tree Warden, Bob LeBlanc, the Tree Commission last fall completed the first plantings of the city’s Century Tree Program. Four trees now mark the beginning of our celebration of Salem’s 400th anniversary and will serve as the city’s next generation of tall, majestic trees. Two London planetrees were planted in the front lawn of the Salem Post Office, an American elm on Broad Street at the Pickering House and a katsura tree on Dalton Parkway. On February 23, 2021, Mayor Kimberley Driscoll officially placed the first commemorative tags on the trees. The continuing success of this program relies on donations to The Salem Tree Fund.
As a part of this program, Salem citizens are asked to recommend sites on public or private land, visible from a public right of way, where these trees may mature into their natural tall forms. The Tree Warden and Commission will then select sites for planting, and each tree will be marked with a special Century Tree tag.
Planting trees is a way to honor the noble trees of our city’s past and build hope for our future. Century Trees, as well as all trees in Salem, benefit our personal and community environment. They reduce heat island effects, serve as carbon sinks, and create a more comfortable atmosphere in an area much larger than the tree itself.
The beautiful tree species chosen as Century Trees are long-lived and will endure into the next century, long past Salem’s quadrennial celebration in 2026. Using community input, the Tree Commission will plant these neighborhood landmark trees all across the city. Please send your Century Tree location suggestions by email to: centurytree@salem.com. The Commission is looking for sites that are visible from the road or sidewalk, clear of overhead wires, have enough space for both root and branch growth, and that will receive plenty of sunlight. Most helpful to these trees’ success is access to water and a person or group that will water them while they become established. Trees on private property will be planted by the city and monitored for two years under of the oversight of Tree Warden LeBlanc. After that, the property owner will maintain the tree.
To learn more about the Century Tree program or to donate to The Salem Tree Fund, visit the website for the Salem Tree Commission: https://www.salem.com/tree-commission
Touch the future, donate a tree –
Honor a loved one – Celebrate an occasion –
Make our city more beautiful
Darleen Melis, Chair
Salem Tree Commission