New Tree Plantings to Provide Shade Along Neighborhood ‘Hotspots’

June 8, 2026
• Needham is welcoming 46 new trees, funded by a state grant awarded to the town last fall.

The Town of Needham received $92,000 from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Cooling Corridors Grant to plant and care for 19 different tree species in berm locations. The trees, once matured enough, will provide shade along sidewalks frequented by students walking to school and “hotspots” with high land surface temperatures, Sustainability Manager Gabby Queenan said.

The new trees will be located along Great Plain Avenue, Eaton Road, Kimball Street, Lincoln Street, Stevens Road and Webster Street. Parks and Forestry will finish planting the last few trees this week, Queenan said. Those plantings adhere to the town’s goal of “right tree, right place,” she said, while also being mindful of climate change.

“We want to support having a diversity of trees, and we also want to make sure that whatever we’re planting is resilient to future climate changes,” Queenan said. “We don’t know what kind of challenges those trees will experience in the future, whether it be new pests or diseases or changing weather conditions that maybe make something more tolerable for one species versus another, so we want to plant a variety to try to give ourselves the best chance that those trees will succeed.”

Those plantings are 20-25 years old, Queenan said, meaning they’ll need some time to grow. She said it’ll take about two to three years before the trees “really take off.” Trees with the most significant canopy are more than 50 years old, she said.

“Everyone knows the best time to plant a tree is yesterday,” she said, “so we want to get going as quick as we can to get those trees in the ground so they have a chance to grow.”

Nick Hill, member of the town’s Climate Action Committee and advocacy organization Green Needham, said the grant could remind residents of the less comfortable walking areas in town. Without adequate shade, neighborhoods could experience the heat island effect, where “asphalt and concrete and open dirt soaks up the heat,” Hill said.

“You think of going outside on a hot, sunny day, that’s very uncomfortable, and it radiates into your home or your workplace, into the school,” Hill said. “Putting trees [in] cuts that down… [and] that improves rainwater absorption, reduces runoff.”

Trees can provide a maximum 10-degree temperature differential from direct sunlight, Queenan said.

“I always tell folks, ‘go for a walk, and you’ll notice it right away’ where we have really good canopy over our sidewalks,” she said. “It’s such a relief to be under a tree.”

The grant comes as the state experiences high temperatures hitting the 90s and the start of summer. The grant — whose total award was nearly $632,000 — “aims to create cooler and more enjoyable spaces for walking and gathering by planting trees that offer shade,” according to the state’s press release.

“Each tree planted is an investment in the health and safety of our communities,” EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper said in the release. “The Cooling Corridors Program offers municipalities and non-profits an opportunity to transform their neighborhoods into enjoyable cooling spaces that can be appreciated for generations to come.”

Needham’s grant will cover tree watering through fall 2027.

This comes after Queenan and the Climate Action Committee drafted a tree bylaw in an effort to protect existing trees on lots that may undergo development. After a presentation to the Select Board last month, the bylaw will likely head to Town Meeting in the fall.

Both Queenan and Hill said the community has voiced support for preserving the town’s tree canopy, and this grant ties into that priority.

“Trees and stormwater resonate with people across the town,” Hill said. “The tree law will be a great addition but also not overly burden people. I think it’s a good compromise.”

Trees provide additional environmental benefits that Queenan also highlighted.

“We’re talking about opportunities for carbon sequestration [reducing carbon in the air], observing stormwater runoff to help avoid stormwater-related flooding, supporting biodiversity. The list goes on and on,” she said. “Trees have a substantial number of benefits, so this grant program is really focused on trying to mitigate extreme heat by trying to improve tree canopy within neighborhoods and public spaces.”