Tree Farm maintenance day Saturday

SAUGUS – Digging up, moving and replanting several 6-foot-tall trees isn?t the easiest process, as you can probably imagine.But the Saugus Tree Committee will be doing just that on Saturday at the Town?s Tree Farm and they could use all the help they can get.?We hand dig the trees, which can be really hard, and then they have to be replanted within a few days so that the roots don?t dry up,” said Saugus Tree Committee member Nancy Prag. “The DPW goes down to the new location ahead of time to dig and get the hole ready, so it?s really quite the process.”Tree Farm maintenance days are held twice a year to remove the trees that are large enough to survive on their own, and to take care of other weeding and grooming. The trees removed from the farm are then replanted on the streets and at the parks of Saugus.?There was a big tree in front of the library that came down during one of the big storms last winter, so we?re going to replace that one, and there were a couple of dead trees in front of town buildings that had to be removed, so we?re going to replace those. Then we?re going to plant two at the elementary schools and one at the high school,” said Prag.The Tree Committee wanted a more ornamental tree for the Saugus Public Library, so member Margery Hunter volunteered to “baby sit” a Kousa Japanese Dogwood that grew from a small sapling in her yard.Prag said the Kousa Dogwood flowers later in the season, and has pretty leaves and small fruit. The tree is now big enough to replant at its new home.The Saugus Tree Committee was formed 12 years ago when two of the original members realized that a number of trees were coming down without being replaced in Saugus.The Town Manager at the time then donated the old DPW yard located in Saugus Center to the Committee?s cause. The acre-size plot of land is now known as The Saugus Tree Farm.The Tree Farm houses more than 400 trees from a variety of species, including Oaks, Sycamore, Green Ash, Cedar, Red Maple, Austrian Pine, White Pine and Longleaf Pine. Prag said the Tree Committee?s goal is to plant trees that are indigenous to the region and can tolerate road salt, but they gladly accept any tree donations, regardless of species. The farm also has several fruit trees that were donated by Home Depot.Ann Devlin of The Saugus Tree Committee and SAVE said the Saugus Tree Farm is an essential component of the community, as it ensures that public trees lost to disease or injuries are replaced at a minimal cost to the town.?The Farm offers a renewable source of trees for street tree replacement, and the committee is a total volunteer effort to care for the trees,” she explained. “People from other communities have commented on how great it is and inquire about how they can start a tree farm in their own communities.”The farm also helps Saugus maintain its “Tree City” status, which it earned in 1998.According to the Arbor Day Foundation, a city or town must have a tree department, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observation and proclamation in order to be recognized as a Tree City.These standards ensure that each Tree City has a framework for action and an annual, systematic management of its tree resources, which leads to more forestry grants and financial assistance.The Tree Committee?s main concern now is removing the larger trees to make room for new ones, according to Prag. She said some of the trees are too big to hand dig, and they can go into a state a shock if pried out too severely, so donations of equipment and manpower are critical. Trees also need time and lots of water to adjust to being replanted.Prag stressed that the maintenance day is a great project for students to complete required community service, and the trees will make a difference in the air we breathe and in the beautification of Saugus.The Saugus Tree Committee is inviting everyone from the community to join them at the Tree Farm f