Trees provide many benefits to their surrounding community. They help clean the air and soil, and provide climate benefits by cooling the area and absorbing stormwater. Additionally, trees can improve the livability of a community by buffering noise and beautifying the area. Individual trees provide these benefits on their own, but a healthy tree canopy of multiple trees across a community further enhances these benefits.
The City funds the planting and early maintenance of street trees throughout Medford. Curious about adding a shade tree to your street? Trees may be added to public streets, and in some cases can even be planted on private property through the “back of the sidewalk” tree planting program. To learn more, or if you have other questions about trees in Medford, contact the City Tree Warden, Aggie Tuden, at atuden@medford-ma.gov or (781) 393-2419.
Get Involved
If you’d like to learn more about tree protection efforts in Medford, or get involved, check out the work of local group Trees Medford. While not an official group of the City, Trees Medford is made up of residents passionate about protecting Medford’s trees, and supports the City’s work to maintain and grow the canopy.
Medford Tree Report
The Medford Energy & Environment Committee conducted research into municipal efforts to protect trees and compiled this information in the Tree Report. The report summarizes extensive research on building and maintaining a healthy canopy, and includes recommendations for how to support and enhance the existing tree canopy in Medford. It highlights approaches for tree preservation and protection based on information gathered from more than 17 municipalities across Massachusetts.
You can view and download the report here. Also available is a letter that introduces the authors and contributors, and provides important context for the research. You can also access the Appendix of the report, which contains even more information and resources, here.
Tree City USA
Medford has been designated as a Tree City USA 24 years in a row. To achieve this status, Medford must meet four core requirements of urban forestry and have a tree warden, hold public hearings when removing healthy trees (as part of a tree ordinance), spend at least $2 per capita annually on urban forestry, and celebrate Arbor Day. Learn more about the Tree City USA program here.
Did You Know?
The below video from National Geographic describes how trees “talk” to each other through underground symbiotic relationships with fungi. Trees can relay stress signals and share resources in this way, which is one of the many reasons why a full canopy of trees is so important.