Neighborhood Botany

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

This morning on my way to the T I saw landscapers as they were finishing cutting down a tree at the corner of Bay State and Mallet St. They cut it right to the stump. It had been a beautiful big old tree, as all of them are on Bay State. I don't know why it was cut, but it gave me a reminder that, yes, our trees are mortal and will one day all be gone. Wondering now if the city has any long-term plans about that.

Looking at the glorious oaks and maples in the Powderhouse park, a lot of those trees are some serious old. I don't know enough about botany to guess how old, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of them began life 2 centuries ago. I read online (today) that oaks have a lifespan of 200-400 years, giving, um, plenty of time to figure out replacement strategies. Just wondering if there is a replacement plan of any kind.

Here's hoping a little sapling goes in at the corner of Bay State and Mallet...