This week at Salem Rotary, our speakers were Anna Sheridan from Salem Sound Coastwatch and David Bresnahan from the Mass Dept. of Conservation and Recreation. They told us about the Greening The Gateway Cities Program which is an environmental and energy efficiency program designed to reduce household heating and cooling energy use by increasing tree canopy cover in urban residential areas in the state’s Gateway Cities. It was a program that started locally in Lynn and has grown to Salem and surrounding communities.

 

David Bresnahan is an ISA certified arborist and has been with the GGCP since 2014, for 11 planting seasons, and was the planting program’s first Forestry Assistant!  He has supervised parks and trails maintenance crews, and urban tree planting crews for 10+ years in cities & county parks, and Gateway Cities and has worked on coastal restoration projects. David has a B.S. Natural Resources Management focus on Forestry from UMASS Amherst.

 

More trees leads to cleaner air, cooler temperatures, and better mental health. Urban forestry includes urban parks, street trees, landscaped boulevards, schools, and public and private housing. Temperatures are hotter in cities because of the lack of trees and more impervious surfaces like blacktops. More energy is used to cool homes as well, making cities less environmentally friendly. The program does focus on Environmental Justice Neighborhoods, which meet specific requirements including median household income and demographic information. They work in partnership with the city through DCR grants. Salem's DPW creates spaces for tree planting in public locations. Permeable surfaces that look like a rubber side walk are used in many locations because they are better for the trees. City partners include Salem Housing Authority and Salem Sound Coastwatch.

 

The majority of tree planting takes place in residential yards. Homeowner resident will reach out in various ways, such as through Greening the Gateway Cities website, and plant a choice of recommended trees. Owners then take on maintenance. Ideally the program is looking to plant larger shade trees. the nursery stock is made up of Massachusetts grown trees of various sizes depending on the location- impact of car doors, foot traffic- and other factors. Trees are planted in grow bags which are better for the trees and the environmentally friendly. Crews are hired from within local communities, and they are hiring now for the spring and fall planting seasons.  

 

Anna Sheridan is the Program and Greenscapes coordinator as Salem Sound Coastwatch. She provides outreach and education to North Shore communities on stormwater and water conservation. She holds a BS in Environmental Science from Albright College. SSCW is a coastal watershed nonprofit that has been operating for over 30 years that protects and promotes our local watershed through various means, including scientific research, education, and local partnerships. One example of their many recent projects includes a rain garden to help with local flooding. Anna stated that the Greenscapes Program promotes environmentally friendly landscaping practices to reduce stormwater runoff, increase water conservation, and prevent chemical pollution from entering our waterways. You can see more at the Greenscapes website. Salem Sound Coastwatch works with the GGCP as the program's local outreach coordinator and nonprofit partner.

 

Anna helps organize and attend community events around the city. They send mailers and handle door to door canvassing advertising the free trees. A Tree Steward Training will be starting up again soon. There will be volunteer watering opportunities, such as in the Bridge Street Neck neighborhood. The Salem Living Green Expo is coming up on May 11 at Old City Hall. "See the GGCP in Action" events are coming soon. They will be planting trees at Witchcraft Heights Elementary School this Arbor Day.