Needham Celebrates Arbor Day with New Saplings, Park Cleanup

April 28, 2025
• Town arborists and community partners took to Needham High School and Noyes Park to honor the holiday in a hands-on way.

Traveling down Webster Street, passers-by may notice an interesting tree pattern: shade trees on the east side, and flowering trees on the west side, underneath the power lines. A line of seven trees outside NHS were the outlier.

The towering Crimson King Maples — which are invasive to the region — had grown into the power lines and posed a safety concern for students walking beneath them. The trees also showed signs of disease, and some had already died, Needham Arborist Mike Logan said. They were removed in March.

“They had too many strikes against them, besides the fact it was an invasive species,” Logan said of the trees. “Right species, right location. That’s our motto.”

On Arbor Day on Friday, seven saplings took their place, with the help of tree service company Hartney Greymont and Eversource. Two crab apples, two pink dogwoods, two magnolias and one red bud will bloom there in the coming years.

“It’ll brighten the place up, little beautiful spring flowers,” Logan said. “It’s gonna be amazing.”

The trees will grow about 18-24 inches per year after the first two years, but none of them are expected to climb up to the power lines, said Russell Holman, supervisor of vegetation management with Eversource.

“These are all utility-friendly trees,” Holman said. “They’re all trees that are going to grow under 30 feet tall, specifically picked because of their proximity to the power lines.”

Locals stopped by to ask arborists questions about the trees and pick up their own balsam fir saplings and other small plantings.

New home builds and teardowns have brought renewed focus to tree removal, and Ed Olsen has witnessed the issue first-hand. As superintendent of Parks and Forestry, Olsen said the community looks to him and the town’s small team of arborists for solutions, but “it takes a village.” That includes collaborations with local laborers, Eversource and additional partners.

The Tree Preservation Planning Committee is one way to bring awareness to the topic, he said.

“Taking down trees, I hate to see it, but sometimes it’s necessary. But when it’s not necessary, it’s shame worthy. We should really think about when we’re taking down trees and have a reason behind it,” Olsen said. “Not that I’m Frederick Law Olmsted, but when I plant trees, I want them to stay 100 years… The best time to plant the tree was yesterday, so I just hope people embrace that.”

Olsen spent much of his morning at Noyes Park, the small green space at the intersection of Great Plain and Central Avenues that he considers a “great focal point of the community.” He and a collection of volunteers transplanted spirea, mulched and edged the flower beds and tended to newly planted trees to help them adapt to their environment.

Joyce Lafaver, a member of Needham Garden Club, helped weed and plant hydrangeas at the park. The space, she said, was somewhat neglected — she drives by it often on her way to the Recycling and Transfer Station. That changed after Friday.

“It’s nice, especially if you’re coming that way,” Lafaver said, pointing to the opposite corner of the interaction, “to see pretty flowers.”

Hartney Greymont partnered with the town for previous Arbor Day-related plantings. The company planted Chinese Elm trees at the Needham Free Public Library two years ago and assisted with a park cleanup last year.

James Willey, the assistant district manager of the Needham location, said Hartney Greymont aims “to be good stewards of the environment.” Arbor Day presents an opportunity to do just that.

“It’s a nice day to give back and to let other people appreciate nature,” Willey said. “There’s so many trees and so many plants around us. Let’s stop once in a while and say, ‘Hey, that’s a cool looking tree.’”

The Select Board issued a proclamation recognizing Arbor Day at its April 22 meeting, “encourag[ing] all residents to plant trees to gladden the heart and prompt the well-being of this and future generations.”

For Olsen, Arbor Day is “one of the best days of the year.” The town planted trees along the Rail Trail last week, and the festivities will continue this Friday at Broadmeadow Elementary School, where they’ll plant trees with second graders and provide seedlings for them to take home. The town plans to plant a Sugar Maple at NHS sometime next week.

Olsen said he hopes to inspire others, particularly young people, to volunteer and “to get their hands dirty.”

“There’s a lot of work,” he said. “It’s dirty, it’s sweaty, it’s bloody, but it’s fun and it’s rewarding and it’s necessary.”