WORCESTER – There is a dispute that could serve as a microcosm of a bigger problem in Worcester, and ground zero is Newton Avenue North on the city’s West Side.
That is where resident Steve Levin gave a tour of the road, pointing out red circles the city painted on the base of practically every tree that lines Newton Avenue North. These tall, leafy trees give the street its beauty, and they convinced Levin that this is the area in Worcester where he wanted to live.
However, many of those trees won’t be around much longer, because the marks mean the city is planning to chop them down.
“This is a very emotional issue,” said Levin, a college professor whose home on Terrace Drive looks directly on Newton Avenue North. Levin can look out his window and see one of the trees that was already cut down, lying in large chunks.
City versus residents
The city says the trees are unhealthy and must go as part of a $2.8 million project that replaced underground water, sewer and drainage lines on Newton Avenue North. Now it’s time to resurface the street and replace the sidewalks. That work could start in the coming days, and that’s when the trees will start to come down.
“We’ve done everything we can to try to save trees on Newton Avenue North,” said Jay Fink, the city’s commissioner of public works and parks. Efforts include design changes that narrow parts of the road to avoid trees, slimmer sidewalks to avoid roots and asphalt ramps over roots that extend over sidewalks.
But many trees won’t survive. Approximately 40 are slated for removal and more than 20 will be saved, said Fink. Levin’s tour of the street showed only a handful of trees that didn’t include the red mark. City Manager Eric Batista has approved the plan, according to a city spokesman.
Levin doesn’t trust the powers that be, because he and other West Side residents thought the trees were staying, only to find out that they’re now on the chopping block.
“The city has not done a fair and democratic process, so it resorted to an underhanded one,” said Levin.
Not the first battle over trees
This isn’t the first time residents across the city fought to save public street trees, but this latest conflict ironically comes when Worcester is focused on preserving and growing its “urban forest.”
Worcester is waiting to hear from the federal government on whether it will get a $23.5 million grant, and if the money comes through, much of it will be used to plant 7,000 trees. On another front, the city released a draft of its urban forestry master plan in May to keep public trees healthy, resilient and sustainable. There’s also the Green Worcester Plan, which was approved unanimously by the City Council two years ago and includes investments in public trees.
Given those efforts, some believe the city’s decision to take down trees on Newton Avenue North is misguided.
“Where does this end? If the city is allowed to do this on Newton Avenue North, then there is the potential to do this to other streets that the rest of us live on,” said Alexander Elton, a West Side resident who sits on the city’s appointed Urban Forestry Tree Commission. Elton has tree expertise, because he works as the forester in Providence and is the director of that city’s forestry division.
Turn back the clock
To get a clear understanding of what is happening on Newton Avenue North, rewind the clock to 2021.
That is when Worcester planned to take down 100 trees on several West Side streets, including 50 on Newton Avenue North. That roadway needed new underground utilities and sidewalks to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Those were the reasons cited by the city for why the trees had to go.
Residents balked during a subsequent public hearing, and the city changed its plans. Instead of taking down 100 trees, the number was reportedly reduced to 11.
Since then, the city took another look at the trees with the help of consultants Weston & Sampson and Davey Resource Group, Inc. They determined many trees on Newton Avenue North were unhealthy, said Fink.
That contradicts statements reportedly made in 2021 by the city’s tree warden, Rob Antonelli, when he said the trees slated for removal were live and healthy. Antonelli also reportedly said the trees were impediments to the street and sidewalk projects and needed to come down.
Another public meeting
Last month, the city held a public information session to give the latest update on the Newton Avenue North project. Levin said he didn’t attend because the city didn’t mention that tree removal was back on the table when the hearing was advertised. Others who fought the removal of trees two years ago also didn’t attend for the same reason, according to Levin.
Levin said another sign that the trees were safe came from a phone message that Levin shared with the Telegram & Gazette. The April message was from City Engineer Nicholas Wilbur, and he said many trees on Newton Avenue North would not be removed.
“My biggest mistake is that I stopped following (the issue),” said Levin. “I thought the battle was over and won.”
One week before last month’s public information session, Antonelli told the Urban Forestry Tree Commission that the final number of trees to be removed had not been identified. Davey Resource Group and a certified arborist had identified a number for removal based on their health, safety and roadway structural issues. Beyond that, the matter went to the public hearing held two years ago and then to Batista for final approval, per state law.
Antonelli noted the majority of trees that need to come down are due to sidewalk reconstruction and making sure the sidewalks comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. He also said the majority of trees on Newton Avenue North are live and healthy and need pruning, per the recommendation after the public hearing held two years ago.
As for who makes the final determination on the number of trees to come down, Antonelli said that’s done by the city’s engineering department. He also told the commission that he didn’t know why so many trees were marked with a red dot.
“It was not done by city staff or forestry staff, so I don’t know what the markings mean. That was not done by us, so I don’t have a good answer for you on that,” said Antonelli.
Elton feels the public information session was rushed, and the city’s plan is “very aggressive and unnecessary.” He wonders why the city must take all the trees down at once. Instead, they could be removed in stages, so the leaf cover that took decades to achieve isn’t immediately lost.
“It’s very concerning,” said Elton.
‘I feel very betrayed’
As Levin sees it, the city tolerated opposition to tree removal two years ago and waited for time to pass so it could move ahead with its original intention to cut the trees down.
“I trusted the city, and I feel very betrayed,” he said.
Fink strongly disagrees with Levin’s take. He has seen emails that Levin circulated that criticize city officials and called them “infuriating” and “insulting.” Besides, Fink said 50 residents attended last month’s public information session, and none objected to tree removal.
Fink also said several Newton Avenue North residents have told the city they want the trees removed because they worry branches will fall and cause damage.
Signs of decay
There are visible signs of possible tree decay along Newton Avenue North. Portions of thick branches are torn off, and some trees had noticeable splits in their trunks. Some roots are so large and extensive that they butt up against the road. Others buckle portions of sidewalk, and one root extends over the sidewalk like a speed bump.
Fink said the city could cut roots on some trees to retain them, but it would weaken them and the trees would likely topple during storms.
For every tree removed, two will be planted, said Fink.
‘Defining feature of the neighborhood’
Standing in the middle of Newton Avenue North as he admired the scene of large shade trees that line both sides of the roadway, Levin said the trees are the “defining feature of the neighborhood” that will hurt property values if they’re chopped down. He also noted their environmental benefits to fight climate change and extreme heat.
“What do I want?” said Levin. “I want the city to have a strong rationale for tearing down the trees and they should stay.”
Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter: @henrytelegram.
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