Committee helps spruce up Saugus elementary schools

SAUGUS – Three Saugus elementary schools were the recipients of new trees this past weekend thanks to the Saugus Tree Committee?s annual fall planting.Members of the committee, including Saugus High School sophomore Carolyn Wilk, spent the day digging up a cedar and a pair of little leaf linden trees from the town tree farm to plant at the Veterans, Lynnhurst and Waybright elementary schools.?We had one good kid from the high school and we said, ?Give us your community service sheet,? and she said didn?t even have one,” said Tree Committee Chairman Nancy Prag. “She just came because she had come before and helped, which is great. I love that. You don?t get too many of those.”While it was a cold weekend, Prag said she can get up to 20 kids helping out for the committee?s spring planting when the weather is warmer.It?s then when Prag said they usually can dig up some of the larger trees in the farm.?We?re trying to get some of the larger ones out so we need to have more people to do it,” said Prag. “It just depends on how many people we have for the day. We do it twice a year, and in spring and fall we try to plant. Now if people ask for trees we ask them to volunteer first because we really do need the help.”Prag estimated there are about 600 trees at the tree farm, which is located on Auburn Street in Saugus Center, and said having a Tree Committee goes a long way toward helping the town.?It doesn?t cost the town any money,” said Prag. “It?s all volunteer hours. They don?t have to go out and purchase trees. These are trees that are grown and maintained for the town and the schools. We?re always trying to push the importance of the tree-planting program.”With so many trees toppled over during Hurricane Sandy, Prag said it?s up to the Tree Committee to try and replace those that were lost.?There aren?t any trees going back up except for what we?re putting out there,” said Prag. “You can?t plant right where the tree came out because the roots are so big most of the time. They have to stump grind them out so you can?t go in that exact location and might have to go a foot or so on either side. It takes a long time for the old root system to die out.”With the fall planting finished, Prag is already looking toward the spring, where she?s hoping to get a big boost from a local developer.?We?re hoping to have a developer to help us in the spring who?s going to offer a whole day of his crew helping us get some of the trees out,” said Prag. “I?d be really psyched for that. That?s what I?m working on now.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].