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The Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (WMGLD) recently planted 26 more utility-friendly trees under or near power lines on several streets to replace ones that have either been damaged or felled by winds and storms or removed as part of the proactive line maintenance and annual vegetation management programs. The WMGLD and a professional landscaping company have planted more than 75 trees since last Spring.
Four low-growing tree species were selected after careful research by the WMGLD, an arborist, and the Wakefield Department of Public Works Forestry Department. The tree species include flowering Prairie crab trees, flowering pear trees, Kwanza cherry trees, and Sargent flowering crab trees. Each tree was grown in a special grow bag that was developed by the University of Massachusetts and the University of New Hampshire. The type of the tree planted in each location is dependent on a number of factors, including proximity to houses, utility lines and other structures, as well as the width of the planting lawn.
The WMGLD worked closely with the Town Tree Warden to identify hazardous locations and the placement of the new trees. The most recent tree plantings included Elmcrest Road, Cutter, Willow, Walcott, Emerson, Park, Pleasant, Pearl and Wilson Streets.