Trees Committee
A Vision For Ellsworth
MAIN STREET 2018
MAIN STREET 2028
Mission
The Trees Subcommittee seeks develop a tree planting and management plan that will work to protect existing trees, increase tree canopy cover, and ensure long term maintenance to enhance the beauty and resiliency of Downtown Ellsworth.
Why Plant Trees?
Trees make our city more livable by:
Removing air pollutants that can trigger respiratory illnesses
Reducing stormwater run-off
Keeping the city cooler during the summer
Providing shelter and food for birds and other wildlife
offsetting climate change by reducing energy used by buildings, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions that pollute our air
Street Tree Inventory
In the summer of 2018, a group of Urban Planning Students from College of the Atlantic worked with the Trees Subcommittee to thoroughly survey the main streets of Downtown Ellsworth for current and potential street trees. GIS coordinates, tree health, planting conditions, and existing utilities are a few examples of the data that was collected from this exercise. From this survey, the Trees Subcommittee has found over 400 potential planting locations in Downtown Ellsworth!
Right Tree, Right Place
Have you ever noticed street trees that look like they are really struggling to survive? Many times the reason trees don't thrive along roadways is because the wrong tree was used in the wrong place. The Trees Subcommittee has proposed specifications that will help to ensure long-lived, healthy trees for Ellsworth!
Approved Species for Ellsworth
Did you know that High Street used to be lined with mature Elm trees before Dutch Elm Disease came and killed them all in the 1960's? A major factor of Dutch Elm Disease was that many of America's streets were lined with the same few tree species, commonly called a monoculture. The Tree Subcommittee has a proposed an approved tree species list that will help the city and developers select appropriate tree species.
