Tree Loss Harms Urban Environments

 Air Quality, Environment, May/June 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Water Quality  Comments Off on Tree Loss Harms Urban Environments
May 032020
 
Tree Loss Harms Urban Environments

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]

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Drought-Resistant Gardens Are Within Reach

 March 2016, Newsletter, Stormwater  Comments Off on Drought-Resistant Gardens Are Within Reach
Mar 152016
 
Drought-Resistant Gardens Are Within Reach

By Irene Fairley When I moved to Winn Street in the early 1970s, the property was mostly covered in lawn, especially the back yard. This neighborhood has a high water table as the Winn Brook goes underground here and weaves over to Little Pond. I think everyone on the street has at least one sump pump. It was not unusual to have water in basements with heavy rainfall or to see water standing above ground. My goal was to replace a large portion of the lawn with plantings that would absorb more of the rainwater and enhance habitat for birds [READ MORE]

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Make a Garden in Your Sidewalk “Hell Strip”

 Newsletter, November 2015, Stormwater  Comments Off on Make a Garden in Your Sidewalk “Hell Strip”
Sep 162015
 
Make a Garden in Your Sidewalk "Hell Strip"

By Kate Bowen Hell strip. There. I wrote it, but I didn’t coin the phrase. That credit is given to Lauren Springer Ogden, a renowned gardener, who came up with the term “hell strip.” You know exactly what I am talking about:  that evil zone between you and the road. It might be paved; it might have some weeds; it might have some tidy grass; or it might be bursting with life—a microcosm of annuals, perennials, and wildlife. Many Belmont streets have paved shoulders. The town does not formally encourage restoring paved hell strips, and  open shoulders are often paved [READ MORE]

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