Plants – Page 3 – Belmont Citizens Forum

Urban Trees Improve Everyones’ Lives

Environment, Newsletter, November-December 2021, Plants Comments Off

Nov 022021

By David Meshoulam When I first tell people that I work in the field of “urban forestry” they look at me funny. “Urban areas have forests?” they ask. “I thought forests were out in the country.” But urban forestry is a real thing. Over the past several years, its importance has become increasingly recognized as a critical component of a city’s infrastructure, and rightfully so! Trees create more livable and healthy communities by cleaning and cooling our air, mitigating against flooding, and improving the mental and physical health of residents. In an era of climate change, with hotter summers leading [READ MORE]

Belmont Was Once a Town of Farms

Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, September 2021 Comments Off

Aug 232021

By Jane Sherwin Until the mid-20th century, agriculture was a significant part of Belmont life and economy. Three hundred years ago, it would have been unusual to find a family in this area with no engagement at all in growing things. Even a shoemaker would most likely have a few chickens, or a milk cow, or a small garden for vegetables. The settlements on the land that is now Belmont go back nearly four hundred years. In 1630, Sir Richard Saltonstall led a group of families inland from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, to the area we now call Watertown, to [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Norway Maple

Newsletter, Plants, September 2021 Comments Off

Aug 232021

By Jeffrey North Invasive plant species are disrupting ecosystems from Belmont to Beijing, permanently altering the ecology of our forests, fields, and gardens and causing biodiversity loss and species extinction. This article is the fourth in a series on invasive plant species found in Belmont, the implications of their presence, spread, ecological damage potential, and hopes for their removal and remediation. Acer platanoides, commonly known as the Norway maple, is a species of maple native to eastern and central Europe and western Asia. It was brought to North America in the mid-1700s as a shade tree. The Norway maple is [READ MORE]

Events July-August 2021

BCF Events, July-August 2021, Newsletter, Plants Comments Off

Jun 252021

Though days are now long and warm, event listings for local organizations harken back to the dreary depths of winter. Few groups are planning meetings this summer, the season of bittersweet freedom, of sunny days so many people did not live to see. Voltaire wrote in Candide, “We must tend our garden,” but he didn’t specify how, or who should benefit from said garden. If you’d like to help support your local web of life, consider enrolling in a class with the Native Plant Trust: “Native Species, Cultivars, and Selections: What’s the Difference?” held on Friday, July 16, from 1-3 [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Japanese Knotweed

Environment, July-August 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Jun 252021

Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Japanese Knotweed

By Jeffrey North Invasive plant species are disrupting ecosystems from Belmont to Beijing, permanently altering the ecology of our forests, fields, and gardens and causing biodiversity loss and species extinction. This article is the third in a series on invasive plant species found in Belmont, the implications of their presence, spread, and ecological damage potential, and hopes for their removal and remediation. Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), also known as Asian knotweed, is native to Japan, China, and Korea. It is frequently found on the sides of volcanoes, where it breaks down igneous rock into new soil. You might think it [READ MORE]

Fernald Site Contains Rare Specimen Trees

Environment, July-August 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Jun 252021

Fernald Site Contains Rare Specimen Trees

By Eric Olson It is vanishingly rare that a town within ten miles of Boston can, with a single purchase, add nearly 200 acres to its portfolio of open space. That is exactly what Waltham did in the fall of 2014 when its mayor and city council agreed to buy the former Fernald Development Center from the state. I bet most Belmont residents are at least passingly familiar with this property, tucked up in Waltham’s northeast corner between Trapelo and Waverley Oaks roads, less than a quarter-mile from the Belmont line. As a resident of Newton, I had never heard [READ MORE]

Restoration Projects Approved for Lone Tree Hill

Environment, May-June 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

May 042021

Restoration Projects Approved for Lone Tree Hill

By Jeffrey North The Land Management Committee for Lone Tree Hill approved plans and funding for three 2021 forest restoration and meadow management projects for Lone Tree Hill at a March 3 meeting. The Judy Record Conservation Fund is providing matching funds for the projects, for a total of $22,000 for these initiatives. Area A1 Restoration Continues In early spring, licensed field technicians trained in identifying invasive plant species will cut, mow, and apply plant-specific herbicide in the Area A1 woodland. They will combat Asian bittersweet, buckthorn, garlic mustard, black swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae), and lesser celandine, and at least one [READ MORE]

Clay Pit Pond Deforestation Damages Wetland

Environment, May-June 2021, Newsletter, Plants Comments Off

May 042021

Clay Pit Pond Deforestation Damages Wetland

By Judy Singler In September 2020, several Belmont residents removed more than 80 trees and shrubs from the south side of Clay Pit Pond. In an unauthorized action taken ostensibly to “enhance” the view of the pond, individuals visited the site on at least three occasions that month, cutting down 50-foot-tall trees, shrubs, vines, and other vegetation. The remaining trees at the edge of the pond were pruned of side branches to a height of 20 feet and more. Town officials eventually ordered a halt to the illegal tree cutting after calls from several concerned citizens. Environmental Laws Exist to [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Garlic Mustard

Climate Change, Environment, Lone Tree Hill, March/April 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Mar 012021

Belmont's Invasive Plants: Garlic Mustard

By Jeffrey North Invasive plant species are disrupting ecosystems globally and here in Belmont. Biological invasions are a leading cause of biodiversity loss and even species extinction, and invasive plants are permanently altering the ecology of our forests, fields, and gardens. This article is the first in a series on invasive plant species found in Belmont and the implications of their presence, spread, and ecological damage potential, as well as hopes for their removal and remediation. Garlic mustard (Alliara petiolata) is changing the character of the woodlands in the Northeast. It can outcompete native herbaceous species, depriving the natives of [READ MORE]

Committee Battles Invasives at Lone Tree Hill

January 2021, McLean, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Dec 302020

Committee Battles Invasives at Lone Tree Hill

By Jeffrey North On November 3, field technicians engaged by the Land Management Committee for Lone Tree Hill (LMC) and the Judy Record Conservation Fund began a multi-year campaign to restore select parcels of the Lone Tree Hill conservation land. This initial project focused on invasive plant removal at Area A1, where horticulturalists from Parterre Ecological Services began restoration of the shrub layer by hand-cutting the bittersweet vines that were smothering the largest trees and employing a forestry mower to cut down the buckthorn and multiflora rose. Lone Tree Hill—like public, private, and protected lands elsewhere—is gradually being overrun by [READ MORE]

Commission Plans Lone Tree Hill Restoration

Environment, July-August 2020, McLean, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Jun 302020

Commission Plans Lone Tree Hill Restoration

By Jeffrey North Belmont’s 119-acre Lone Tree Hill conservation area, like many recreational lands in the region, is plagued by the insidious creep of invasive plant species. The ecological value of this forest and meadow conservation land is depreciating due to a host of invasive plants that act like predators, harming native plants from oak trees to ferns, forbs, and shrubs. Asiatic bittersweet, for example, has enveloped oak, hickory, and pine trees, covering, killing, and felling a number of these tall trees that define the edge of the meadow and the land’s viewshed. Glossy buckthorn and honeysuckle are killing gray [READ MORE]

Leaf Blowers Damage Environment and Health

Air Quality, Environment, July-August 2020, Newsletter, Plants Comments Off

Jun 302020

Leaf Blowers Damage Environment and Health

By Ian L. Todreas Each spring and fall, dozens of landscaping companies dispatch teams to yards throughout Belmont to cut, trim, mow, rake, and blow hedges, bushes, lawns, and beds into coffee-table-magazine standard perfection. But at what cost? These services are not inexpensive. Moreover, their hidden costs are significant. Gasoline-powered lawn equipment, such as leaf blowers, lawnmowers, weed whackers, and hedge trimmers, are notorious for emitting proportionally vast amounts of pollution—and making a heck of a lot of noise. Leaf blowers, in particular, deserve a close look. Unlike many other gasoline-powered lawn tools, for the amount of time they are [READ MORE]

New Rock Meadow Parking Plan Proposed

Air Quality, Environment, July-August 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Stormwater, Traffic, Water Quality Comments Off

Jun 302020

By Jeffrey North and Mary Trudeau The Belmont Conservation Commission recently engaged a team of Northeastern University students to explore parking lot and stormwater drainage improvements for Rock Meadow. As visitors to Rock Meadow can attest, the parking lot is inefficient, rutted, partially paved, and often filled with pockets of standing water. Improvements have been called for since at least 1968, when the report, A Program for Renewing Rock Meadow, stated the obvious: “The entrance is not attractive and does not do justice to the beautiful area beyond.” The arrival experience is incongruent with Rock Meadow’s value as a treasured [READ MORE]

Tree Loss Harms Urban Environments

Air Quality, Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Water Quality Comments Off

May 032020

By Florence DiTirro The National Land Cover Database from 2001 estimated Belmont’s tree canopy was 27% of Belmont’s land. From 2003 to 2008, Boston’s urban tree cover declined from 29% to 28%. This downward trend continues if we look at our state, our country, and our globe. The Massachusetts urban tree cover declined between 0.32% and 0.24% in the five years from 2009 to 2014, and the United States overall lost 1.0% of urban tree cover. Global loss was measured as -0.2%. It’s a sad state that we are losing our trees. What is there not to like about trees? [READ MORE]

Lone Tree Hill Cleanup Day April 25

BCF Events, Environment, March/April 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Volunteer Comments Off

Feb 272020

Lone Tree Hill Cleanup Day Join us in stewarding Lone Tree Hill! The Belmont Citizens Forum, in conjunction with the Judy Record Conservation Fund, is holding its eighth annual cleanup and trail maintenance day on Saturday, April 25, from 9 AM until noon. Help complete the planting of trees along the Pine Allee, clean up and remove invasive species at the Coal Road area, and pick up trash at the Mill Street parking lot and South Pleasant Street area at the Coal Road kiosk. Students can earn community service credits. This event is made possible by generous local business sponsors. [READ MORE]

Letter to the Editor: Clay Pit Pond

Environment, January 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Stormwater, Water Quality Comments Off

Jan 062020

To the Editor: As a neighbor, fan, and defender of poor Clay Pit Pond, I especially enjoyed the recent article (“Clay Pit Pond Progresses from Eyesore to Asset,” Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter, November/December 2019). I would like to add a few more details on the recent history of the pond. When we moved to Belmont in the fall of 1974 there was a shopping cart in the pond by the inlet and advertisements about the upcoming Kiwanis Fishing Derby. I found the cart and derby in great contrast. Apparently the pond was regularly stocked for the event. No one noticed [READ MORE]

Belmont Highlights Natural, Historic Treasures

Environment, Historic Preservation, History, Lone Tree Hill, Newsletter, November 2019, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Nov 042019

Belmont Highlights Natural, Historic Treasures

By Mary Bradley The Belmont Historical Society hosted two events in September and October celebrating Belmont’s rich cultural and environmental history. Tracking the Wellington Hill Station through Time The Belmont Historical Society hosted an open house on September 15, 2019, to celebrate the completion of a series of repairs and restorations to the many-purposed Wellington Hill Station building the previous month. The station received a new cedar shingle roof and repairs to the decking and gingerbread trim, the interior plaster walls, and the lower wood sections. The roof was funded with Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding and donations from the [READ MORE]

Invasive Plants Harm Belmont’s Environment

Plants, Sept/Oct 2019 Comments Off

Sep 162019

Invasive Plants Harm Belmont's Environment

By Roger Colton Belmont is under invasion. By air, land, and water, the town is experiencing the influx of non-native plants which outcompete our native species, threatening our wildlife and our waterways. The sooner that town residents begin to respond, the sooner the invasion can be thwarted. One of the most noticeable and harmful invasive plants in Belmont is Japanese knotweed, which is growing along waterways including the Wellington Brook. Japanese knotweed threatens to displace the existing trees, shrubs, and other native plants that line the waterway. Unlike those other species, knotweed does not effectively prevent erosion or filter pollutants [READ MORE]

May/June 2019 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter & PDF

BCF Events, Construction and Housing, Environment, Lone Tree Hill, May/June 2019, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Recycling, Traffic, Volunteer, Water Quality Comments Off

May 062019

View or download the May/June 2019 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below. Articles in this issue: New Plans for McLean Land Density is key issue as town considers proposals for two McLean campus parcels By Sue Bass Twenty years ago, Belmont voted to allow development on McLean Hospital land on Belmont Hill. Now McLean is coming back to the town with new proposals for two parcels of land that are still undeveloped. Read more. Composting in Belmont: Breaking it Down By Mary Bradley Composting is no longer just a backyard hobby for the ardent gardener. [READ MORE]

Composting in Belmont: Breaking it Down

Environment, May/June 2019, Newsletter, Plants, Recycling Comments Off

May 062019

By Mary Bradley A Virtuous Cycle Composting is no longer just a backyard hobby for the ardent gardener. It has Facebook groups and a following from environmentalists, politicians, and scientists. Most praise compost as a means to keep food waste out of landfills and reduce release of methane. While consensus ends there, composting has evolved from a tale of worms, microbes, and bacteria to the realm of politics, emerging technologies, and scientific disputes. For me, however, composting is about magic: Wave one hand over an orange peel clutched in your other hand, and reveal a fistful of dirt. If that’s [READ MORE]

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