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 provides 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 was awarded a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service to complete the tree inventory.

In the 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 now present in several Maine counties, including Waldo. 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. Carol Herwig, chair of the TWiG committee and a certified arborist, now serves as the Tree Warden for the City of Belfast.

Find a map of Belfast’s Legacy Trees here.

Find a link to Belfast’s Mapped Trees here.

Find a link to a pie chart showing Belfast’s city trees by species here.

Find a link to the Maine State Forestry Service here.

Find a link with information from the State of Maine about the Emerald Ash Borer here and a map of Belfast’s ash trees here.

Find a link to TWiG’s February 2025 Report on Belfast’s trees here.

Find a link to a handout on “Right Tree, Right Place” here.

Find a link to the 9/11/25 seminar on the Emerald Ash Borer here.

Find a link to the TWiG recommendations to the City of Belfast regarding the Emerald Ash Borer here.

Find a link to the Maine Forest Service’s February 2026 webinar on Tree Health Concerns here.