TWIG

Tree Working Group

In response to concerns about the health and maintenance of the city’s tree canopy, Belfast Garden Club volunteers partnered with local citizens in 2023 to form the Tree Working Group (TWiG) to assess how to better preserve this important natural resource. Because Belfast does not yet have a tree commission, about a dozen volunteers initiated a tree mapping project in fall 2023 that, when complete, will provide an accurate, detailed assessment of the city-owned tree inventory within the Belfast city limits.

We are fortunate to have on the TWiG committee an arborist, a soil scientist, an environmental consultant, a professional gardener, several Master Gardener volunteers, and a number of earnest tree enthusiasts. Using tree-mapping computer applications has allowed us to conduct the survey expeditiously and with a high degree of accuracy and professionalism. The committee has been awarded a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service to complete the tree inventory in 2024-2025.

In the initial mapping, TWiG discovered that a large percentage of the trees on city-owned property are either the invasive Norway maple or the ash, soon to be infested with the deadly emerald ash borer making its way up the Maine coast. Recent storms have also damaged many trees in town, both public and private. We hope a volunteer tree commission working in partnership with the Belfast City Council will be able to advocate for the informed management of city-owned trees, as well as to educate the public about the benefits of stewardship of the city-owned trees adjacent to their properties.