Skip to main content

Worcester's Urban Forest

Notice: This project page is no longer being updated as of January 2023.

A changing climate poses risks for urban forests.

Some forest pests may benefit from warmer temperatures, leading to tree damage and mortality. Heavy rain events and some types of storms may also increase in the coming decades, which can increase stormwater runoff, flooding, and tree breakage. Adaptation actions, such as tree species diversification and improved stormwater management can help reduce these risks.

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive tree-killing pest that was found in Worcester in 2008. Eighty percent of street trees in Worcester at this time were maples, which is the preferred host for the beetle. This left many streets vulnerable when the pest appeared. The maple trees were severely damaged by the ALB infestation, and the dead and dying trees were removed. When considering how to replant the area, there was an effort to diversify both street trees and trees on private property. Having a variety of species helps shield Worcester’s urban forest against future potential threats.

Healthy trees and forests provide communities with many climate-related benefits. With active planning, management, and care, an urban forest can improve community resilience to heavy rain. Since so many trees had been removed due to the ALB infestation, the City of Worcester installed several stormwater tree pits at strategic points within the city in order to reduce the increased amount of stormwater entering the city's storm drains. Tree removal also reduced the loss of green, cooling spaces. Trees provide shade and can reduce temperatures related to the heat island effect. A replanting program organized by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Worcester Tree Initiative, and other partners focused on reforesting Worcester’s canopy. By 2014, approximately 30,000 trees had been replanted.

Report ALB Online

or Call 1-866-702-9938


Worcester_whitmarsh

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive tree pest. ALB is normally found in China and parts of Korea and Japan, but started killing trees in Worcester in 2008. No one knows how it reached Worcester, although it might have stowed away in wooden shipping materials. In the United States, ALB prefers to feed on maples, but will also feed on other trees including birch, willow, elm, and buckeye. ALB chews, bores and tunnels into its host tree, eventually cutting off its nutrients and destroying it.

Jenn Forman-Orth, Environmental Biologist for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources confirmed the presence of the invasive pest, Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). In the video below, Jenn speaks about both the importance of tree health and the opportunities at hand to make Worcester's trees more resilient.

After a tornado hit North Worcester in 1953, Norway maple was used to replant several streets. In many cases, it was the only kind of tree that was planted. This tough tree was popular as a street tree, though now it is considered invasive. Other maples were also popular. When a tree inventory was conducted in Worcester in 2005-2006, about 61% of the street trees in the city were Norway maples and 80% were some kind of maple. Because maples are a preferred host for Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), this left many streets vulnerable when the pest appeared. The maple trees were severely damaged by ALB and the dead and dying trees were removed. When considering how to replant the area, there was an effort to diversify both street trees and trees on private property. Having a variety of species will help shield Worcester’s urban forest against future potential threats.


Worcester_brighton

A stormwater tree pit (also known as a tree box, tree box filter, or street tree well) consists of an underground structure with aboveground plantings that collect and treat stormwater by using bioretention. Bioretention is the process in which pollutants from stormwater are filtered through organic matter. Read more about this system from the Charles River Watershed Association.

The EPA publication Stormwater to Street Trees describes how urban forests can be engineered for stormwater management. "In urban areas, trees are part of the managed municipal infrastructure. A street tree, which is generally a publicly managed tree found growing within the right-of-way, offers unique opportunities to increase the effectiveness of grey and green stormwater systems."

The City of Worcester installed several stormwater tree pits in the Burncoat neighborhood to help reduce the amount of stormwater entering the city's storm drains. The stormwater tree pits help collect and filter runoff that enters the pit from the sidewalk or through an opening in the curb. The filtered water soaks into the ground or enters the storm drain system.

Over 30,000 trees were removed in Worcester, Massachusetts due to the Asian longhorned beetle infestation in 2009. Rob Antonelli, Jr., Assistant Commissioner of Worcester's Department of Public Works and Parks, discusses the impact that trees have on the city's stormwater management system, and why it's important to replant.

Heavy downpours have been increasing in New England and are likely to continue according to climate projections. Healthy trees and forests provide communities with many climate-related benefits. With active planning, management, and care, the urban forest can improve community resilience to heavy rain and other aspects of climate change. Please visit the USDA Forest Service's Climate Change Resource Center to learn more about impacts and how to manage urban forests in a changing climate. See chapter 4 of this document for detailed urban adaptation strategies.


Worcester_dodgepark

Adult ALB are large, distinctive-looking insects measuring 1 to 1.5 inches in length with long antennae. Their bodies are black with small white spots, and their antennae are banded in black and white. During the summer and fall, check your trees and report any sightings or signs of damage by calling 1-866-702-9938 or report online.

Dodge Park is a 13-acre park in North Worcester that is full of walking trails and benches--a great park for enjoying nature. In 2011, the ALB Cooperative Eradication Program removed all host trees for the Asian longhorned beetle, leaving much of the park without trees. With support from the Federal and State Governments, the Worcester Tree Initiative organized planting and stewardship events to help replant the park. Since then, they have adopted the park and have worked to reestablish the park as a recreational fixture of the neighborhood.

Derek Lirange, a Community Forester from the Worcester Tree Initiative, speaks on the tree removal and reforestation efforts that have taken place at Dodge Park in Worcester, MA due to the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) infestation.

Ryan Vazquez is the USDA's Program Manager for the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Eradication Program in Worcester, Massachusetts. This invasive insect has had serious negative impacts on forest health. Learn how Ryan and his team have been combatting the ALB infestation through scouting techniques and eradication efforts to protect Worcester's urban forest.


Worcester_boxford

The Massachusetts Urban & Community Forestry Program offers a factsheet on how to select trees for your urban and community forest. Also, check out these helpful tips for planting trees from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Mollie Freilicher, a Community Action Forester from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (MA DCR), speaks on the limitations faced when working to reforest urban spaces after an Asian longhorned beetle infestation.

i-Tree Design is an application that allows anyone to estimate the benefits provided by individual trees. By inputting location, species, tree size, and condition, users can gain an understanding of tree benefits related to air quality improvements, stormwater interception, and greenhouse gas mitigation. With the additional step of drawing a building footprint and virtually "planting" or placing a tree, tree effects on building energy use can also be evaluated.

In addition, USDA's Northeast Community Tree Guide reports on the benefits and costs of maintaining trees and provides general guidelines for selecting and placing trees in yards and public spaces.

Urban areas produce a heat island effect. The “island” can be significantly warmer than surrounding areas because of pavement, excess energy, and human activities. Trees provide shade and can reduce temperatures related to the heat island effect. With average temperatures on the rise, shade in urban areas has become increasingly important. After infested trees on this street were removed, residents noticed they were using more air conditioning in the summer and research data backed up these observations. To help reverse this trend, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, working with the Worcester Tree Initiative and other partners, ran a replanting program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and USDA APHIS. Trees were planted on public and private property, and by 2014 approximately 30,000 trees had been replanted through this program. Residents can enjoy the many benefits trees provide including shade and reduction of the urban heat island effect.

Associate Professor of Geography at Clark University, John Rogan, Ph.D., discusses how trees buffer urban heat island effects, and how Worcester's tree removal due to the Asian longhorned beetle infestation created the perfect opportunity to study the direct impacts that trees (or lack of trees) have on communities.


Worcester_tirrell

Professor of Geography at Clark University, Deborah Martin Ph.D., discusses Worcester's proactive response to the Asian longhorned beetle infestation, and the importance of trees in urban communities.

Tim Barwise, a Forester with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation (MA DCR) and Recreation, talks about what's at stake from an Asian Longhorned Beetle infestation.

Location

Worcester, MA

Project Status

Ongoing

Partners

Clark University, City of Worcester Massachusetts, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub, U.S. Forest Service, Worcester Tree Initiative