TEA Funds Critical Tree Work in 2007

Updated 3/2007 - In March, 2007, TEA contracted with Boston Tree Company for three days of tree pruning on the Esplanade. The work was done on the lagoon islands between Dartmouth Street and Clarendon Street, building on the work done last fall along Storrow Drive.

Boston Tree Company focused on the removal of deadwood, low-hanging branches, and limbs that blocked lights and limited safe visibility. A light touch was also given to the crown of each tree, thinning as needed to provide more room to strong structural limbs and neighboring trees.

A special treatment was given to one of the Esplanade’s most signature willow trees, located in Otis Grove. As a species, willows display weak wood, but have incredible resiliency and re-sprouting capabilities. This remarkable tree had taken on a gravity-defying form, made of a hollowed-out trunk and branches of dramatic reach. In order to maintain the poetry of the tree’s form, while making necessary changes to its structure to ensure pedestrian safety, Boston Tree Company removed targeted branches that gave the tree more balance and stability.

This work is part of TEA’s continuing efforts to manage, maintain, and enhance the Esplanade’s arboriculture.

Background - TEA has been working with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on planning for the healthy future of the Esplanade’s trees. In 2005, TEA worked with the DCR on priority tree removals. Approximately 30 dead or diseased trees were cut down and removed from the park.

In October, 2006, we began taking steps to ensure that fewer trees reach the point where they become a danger by funding maintenance-standard tree pruning. TEA contracted with skilled arborists who performed crown cleaning, branch lightening, and hazard control pruning as needed in the area between Dartmouth Street and Exeter Street. Thanks to a generous partnership with local neighbors, this work will fan out from there until all the parks trees have been cared for.

We will continue to fund tree pruning work through the winter, and will begin tagging the parks trees with their inventory numbers. This will help us work with the DCR to track tree maintenance. In some cases the trees will also be tagged with their scientific names, thus alerting the public to the richness of our arboretum and providing another level of environmental education on the Esplanade.

Project Background

Restoring and renewing the historic landscape is a top priority for the Esplanade Association. Because of the urgent needs on the Esplanade, several specific projects were undertaken while long-range plans are being developed.

In 2004, the Esplanade Association commissioned a comprehensive tree inventory for the parkland, partially funded by the Garden Club of the Back Bay and the Beacon Hill Garden Club. A combination of high-tech GPS positioning and skilled horticultural analysis will provide us with the location, species, and condition of every tree on the Esplanade. From the data will come recommendations for removal, maintenance, and replanting to insure the health of these valuable assets.
Watering vegetation on the Esplanade is an ongoing problem. A grant from the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of American allowed us to purchase an irrigation pumping system that uses Charles River water to irrigate plantings. Our long-range goals include the installation of accessible water sources throughout the park.
The Storrow Memorial, located adjacent to the historic granite landing at Gloucester Street, was in desperate need of attention. Overgrown trees, root-bound beds, and the deterioration of the memorial itself called for immediate action. Landscape architect Clara Batchelor worked with association leaders to develop a new planting design for the area. The state assisted in the removal of the old plantings and placement of new trees, shrubs, and spring bulbs. New landscaping and new benches have made this area a welcoming place to stop and enjoy the sights and sounds of the park.
An unnecessary asphalt circular path, near the statue of Arthur Fielder, was removed, the turf replaced, dead trees removed, and others pruned. This area is now restored to open space. New trees will be added in the future.
As part of the construction of the Stoneman Playground, dead trees were removed in the area, and existing trees were given a sanitary and structural pruning to improve their health and to allow more light into the play area. The new design included the planting of new trees and shrubs.
The Little Buddies program is an ongoing cooperative effort between the Esplanade Association, the Garden Club of the Back Bay, and area elementary schools. It gives children the opportunity to plant bulbs around the playground and watch them bloom.
The traffic island under the Fielder Footbridge, at Arlington and Beacon Streets, presents a difficult and highly visible landscape dilemma that is being addressed by a joint effort of the Beacon Hill Garden Club, the Garden Club of the Back Bay, and the Esplanade Association. The triangular island was cleared of weeds and rubbish, and an experimental planting of ornamental grasses and day lilies was installed. Because of poor drainage, lack of a permanent water source, and record drought, only the daylilies have survived. Further improvements in this area are on hold awaiting the replacement of the tunnel underpass below the triangle. Once this construction is completed, a new landscape plan, being developed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, will be installed.
The tulips you see in front of the Hatch Shell each spring are planted by association volunteers in memory of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In 2002, Merrill Lynch employees who spent a day of service in the park planted the bulbs.
The Hatch Shell was improved through the combined efforts of the association and the Beacon Hill Garden Club. A new design for the beds in front of the shell was installed. This area, which is covered by the Fourth of July staging, is a very problematic planting area. It is the primary focus of the front of the Hatch Shell, but it is undisturbed for only a limited time each summer. The solution was the reduction of the size of the planting beds, installation of steel edging and colored stone mulch, and the installation of large moveable planters. These planters provide colorful displays for the whole season but can easily be moved to accommodate events. New iron stairs leading to the stage also added to the attractiveness of the Hatch Shell.

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The Esplanade Association
10 Derne Street
Boston, MA 02114
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