This week at the Salem Rotary, we had guest speaker Darleen Melis, Chair of the Salem Tree Commission. She noted that the Commonwealth recognized Salem as a city in need of trees. The Salem Tree Commission was established by the Salem Tree Ordinance in 2019. Members are appointed by the Mayor and the City Council and serve three-year terms.
Its mission is to address matters involving Public Street Trees and Protected Trees on private property that are specifically designated by the Ordinance. This is a way that individuals can play a part in combating climate change. The commission has been mailing postcards to eligible households, so check your mail. Regardless, Darleen says that members of Rotary should be sure to ask for a tree.
The commission is made up of activists, arborists, horticulturalists, and other tree experts. The tree ordinance was inspired by the town of Lexington, which follows some basic, commonsense guidelines for tree location and selection. The commission aims to promote planting and maintenance. Eligible communities must have a tree ward, a community tree ordinance, maintain $2 per person for urban tree, and have an annual Arbor Day.
The Commission works with the Tree Warden to:
Promote the protection, planting, and maintenance of these trees,
Retain Salem’s status as a “Tree City USA” community,
Hear appeals when applications for the removal of Protected Trees have been denied,
Advise petitioners who wish to remove either Public or Protected Trees in advance of a public tree hearing with the Tree Warden.
There are many benefits to increasing the amount of trees in Salem. Trees help absorb the sound of traffic, neighborhoods with trees are significantly cooler, energy costs decrease significantly, homes with more trees have higher property values, and green space improves mental and physical health. Homeowners can request trees online. Darleen shared some slides about recent successes, including the plantings on the Common, as well as tools homeowners can use to plan for tree planting and proper tree planting.
Salem Rotary Board of Directors for the next Rotary year will be announced soon!
The legislative speaker calendar is coming together.
Congratulations to Jason Consalvo for receiving his second Paul Harris award. He gave a short speech by his standards.
The Salem Rotary gang at the most recent LifeBridge dinner. Francesca's macaroni and cheese was an absolute hit. Gerrit's glazed ham was a "close second" according to Gerrit.
President Jen Close
with her flamingo
and Bob "You Should See the Other Guy" Anthony
Visiting Rotarians & Guests
Hannah Beth Hembree from the Salem Pantry joined us once again, as did Mario Sousa from SHS. Our speaker Darleen Melis with the Salem Tree Commission attended along with Pamela Shenaj from Salem Five.
Calendar Winner!
New calendar stubs are in the pot! Take this as a final reminder to get your Calendar money in.
Colin McLaughlin sold by (surprise, surprise) Mike McLaughlin
Probably bought by him as well...
50:50 Raffle
Pot $775
Tyler Hains and Kristen Armstrong played. No winners this week!
ROTARIAN NEWS
Robyn Burns announced that the North Shore Moving Market is going to be dissolving, but the Salem Pantry will be taking on their clients, which will extend the organization's reach.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Polar Plunge
January 27
Dead Horse Beach
Everyone's favorite frigid event is BACK. Get those speedos out of storage and mark your calendars. More details to follow. This potentially be re-labeled with the more festive name of Frozen Flamingo Frolic. The Mayor of Salem will be plunging...
18 Washington Square
Salem, MA 01970 United States of America
NOTE: The fourth Tuesday of the month is an evening meeting, beginning at 5:15.
If you are interested in learning more about Salem Rotary, please email president@salemrotary.com.
50:50 Raffle
Polar Plunge 
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