Concord250 tree project marks townwide milestone
Acton’s push to plant 250 trees around the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution’s start has reached its goal.
Tree lovers, rejoice: Acton’s push to plant 250 trees around the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution’s start has reached its goal.
“They’re not all in glamorous locations,” project volunteer Christa Collins said, but officials hope these trees will leave a lasting mark as part of Acton’s “urban forest.”
Concordians celebrated the plantings at the Free Public Library on April 30. A brand new pagoda dogwood stands outside, one of many trees now scattered everywhere from Acton’s schools to the backs of parking lots.
Acton has an annual planting program, but this was a larger effort.
Town Meeting approved $50,000 late last month to plant 50 to 100 trees in the 2027 fiscal year through the annual plan.
The additional 250th anniversary project cost $330,000 via the Community Preservation Act, donations, and the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Crews planted trees over the past two years and scrambled to keep them alive through last summer’s drought.
These trees will help provide shade and reduce “heat island” effects in developed areas, Tree Warden Eric Shaw said. They’ll also combat erosion.
Project volunteers huddled for pictures with the new library tree and lauded town staff for their help during the April 30 event.
“We hope these 250 trees will last for generations,” Collins said, but she cautioned that Acton has lost many more trees to development and disease than it has planted.
“I hope we’ll all pledge to defend these trees,” she said. “Let’s not think that the job is done.”
