ReGreen Springfield

The Republican | Mark M. Murray

PeoplesBank announced has recently dontated $80,000 to help replace trees destroyed in five Western Massachusetts communities by the tornado of June 1. This donation represents the first donation that has been earmarked for the replacement of trees destroyed by the tornado.  Springfield has received $40,000 of that amount, which will be used to kick off the ‘Regreen Springfield’ initiative, which aims to involve community members, organizations and non-profit groupd in the planting of trees in the affected neighborhoods.   West Springfield will get $15,000 for replanting in the Union Street area. Wilbraham and Monson will receive $10,000 each, and Westfield will receive $5,000 for trees at the Munger Hill School.

The donations are part of a $200,000 commitment PeoplesBank has made for tornado relief.

According to an estimate by the U.S. Forest Service, 1,340 of the 3,340 “public” trees in the parts of Springfield hit by the tornado were destroyed or had to be removed. When trees in yards or other private places are counted, that number is estimated to be 13,000 trees.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno accepted a check for $40,000 from PeoplesBank President Douglas A. Bowen in a ceremony on Island Pond Road in July.  He also presented the city with a young American Elm, its roots bundled up and ready for planting, which will be planted in Nathan Bill Park, which had very heavy tornado damage..

“It’s symbolic of what the city is going through,” said Bowen. He referred to a botanic disaster of the mid-1900s, when a fungal disease almost wiped out the American Elm.

The little elm will be the first tree replanted in Springfield following the tornatod.  Nathan Bill Park is one of 10 parks in Springfield affected by the tornado, said Patrick J. Sullivan, director of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management in Springfield.

Edward Casey, city forester, predicted that the little tree would be 25 feet tall in five years. He said the $40,000 would be used to purchase at least 100 mature trees for planting.  Casey said Springfield will work with an arborist strike team from the U.S. Forestry Department, which will bring “a lot of good skills and experience” to the process.

The city will develop a master plan by September, and will begin replanting trees in October.  Among the Springfield streets that can expect trees are Island Pond and Plumtree roads, Walnut and Central streets and South Branch Parkway.

Bowen said PeoplesBank has been “a leader in green financing,” and has financed $50 million in wind, hydroelectric and solar power generation throughout Massachusetts. Two of its 16 banks, one in Springfield and one in West Springfield, are LEED-certified, meaning that the U.S. Green Building Council has certified them in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

On June 1, 2011 a series of three tornadoes ripped through Western Massachusetts, and included the second strongest tornado ever recorded in Massachusetts, with wind speeds estimated at 136 to 165 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The most severe tornado was the EF-3, on the Enhanced Fujita Damage Classification Scale, that carved a half-mile-wide path for 39 miles from Westfield to Charlton, killing three people and injuring 200.

The main path of the storm followed a track through the city of Springfield, MA impacting many of its neighborhoods including the South End, Six Corners, Old Hill, Upper Hill, East Forest Park and Sixteen Acres neighborhoods. The tornado resulted in major damage to city infrastructure including many buildings and dwellings, power lines, and public shade trees. In the neighborhoods of Springfield affected by the storms, damage to the street trees was extensive, destroying or severely damaging many of the public trees growing in these areas. Click here to view a replay of the NEXRAD radar loop, showing the tornado travel through Springfield.

The Tornado has left a mark on the City of Springfield that will take many years to erase. This is no more evident than with the loss of the tree resource within the impact zone. The landscape will never be the same as before the storm and it will take many years to recover the canopy cover lost in some areas. While this loss is a tragedy, with reforestation efforts and proper management, the urban forest in these areas can be healthier than it ever has been. There is a great opportunity to apply the latest knowledge and professional practices of urban forestry to ensure healthy and vigorous trees will once again line the streets of the neighborhoods affected.

With your help, Springfield will be able to regreen the devastated neighborhoods and restore its urban forest canopy. Please join in the effort by planting a tree in your own yard, helping to plant trees along our streets and in our parks, or donate your time or funds to neighborhood regreening efforts.  With your help, Springfield’s urban forest will be restored… one tree at a time.