The Tree Warden Seedling Giveaway program is going on this week at the Highway Department Town Garage 28 North Street. If you are picking up a new tree or two, please watch the Arbor Day videos on how to choose and plant your seedlings. The trees will need to be put in the ground or a sufficiently large pot asap. When choosing a location, please educate yourself about the public shade tree law as it applies to your property. You can view your parcel here. All 4 varieties offered by the town are native to our area and should thrive with appropriate care.
- Shagbark hickory seedlings are upland species that will grow tall and serve multiple roles in the ecosystem. Don’t plant them too close to structures or where you will object to nuts.
- American Hornbeam, or ironwood trees, are shorter trees that like a little more water and have unusually hard wood with silver/grey trunks and branches that look a bit like taut muscles.
- Washington Hawthorn seedlings are versatile and tolerant of a variety of locations and conditions. They will grow near driveways and parking lots and are short enough to be placed under power lines.
The White spruce seedlings have been distributed already.
Many thanks to the DPW and the Tree Warden for introducing this exciting program! The Tree Warden hopes to do this annually, so if you missed the distribution this year, mark your calendars for next year and think about where you might enjoy a tree. Feel free to provide feedback regarding the function most helpful to your landscape and native varieties you might prefer.