Keeping Boston's Ash Trees Strong
Even though we’re half a year away from the next Boston Marathon, training for such an event can be a year-round pursuit. While Boston’s runners are gearing up for the Marathon, the Urban Forestry Division is ensuring that other, leafier, residents of Boston remain in tip-top shape.
The health of the trees lining our City’s streets is integral to the Urban Forestry Division’s mission of expanding and maintaining the tree canopy of Boston. This applies especially to our beloved mature trees growing across the City. In particular, ash trees deserve special care and attention due to the spread of the invasive insect, the Emerald Ash Borer. The young insects feed under the bark of ash trees and, if the population of insects gets too high, the damage can be significant enough to kill an infested tree. It is our goal of the Urban Forestry Division to actively provide care for the mature ash trees across the City.
Taking our lead from the recommendations of the Urban Forest Plan, the Urban Forestry team has been conducting treatment for our ash trees since 2023. The trees are injected with a solution that spreads throughout the tree to protect against the Emerald Ash Borer beetle, but the treatment needs to be repeated every two years. Todd Mistor, the City’s Director of Urban Forestry says, “Like any training regimen, you need to have a plan–and repetition is key. The strategy for our ash trees is no different.”
The City Arborists were busy this spring evaluating all of the ash trees in our inventory. If a tree is in poor condition or has already suffered significant damage from the beetle, the treatment will not be helpful. Trees that are not treated will continue to be monitored by the arborists to make sure that they do not become a safety hazard. A majority of our ash tree were good candidates for the treatment. That means that 1,505 ash trees will be treated this year to help keep them alive and healthy in the landscape.
Check the City’s Tree Inventory map before your next run to see if any of our vibrant ash trees will shade your jogging route!
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