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By Evelyn Herwitz Our city trees are dying at an alarming rate due to pollution, disease and neglect. Trees at Risk explains how it happened and what concerned citizens can do to save our urban forests. A city of aging factories and dreams for renewal, of ethic pride and paternalism, of grit, ingenuity and determination, Worcester, Massachusetts, is also a city of trees. Like many American cities, Worcester planted the majority of its trees in the mid-19th century, in an effort to counteract industrialization’s ills: pollution, congestion and threats to public health. At its peak around the 20th century’s turn, the city’s urban forest—all the publicly owned and tended trees—numbered about 50,000. Today, however, as Worcester enters the 21st century, that urban forest has dwindled to fewer than 20,000 street trees and several thousand park trees, of which roughly a third are dead or damaged. Like so many cities around the country, Worcester stands to lose not merely a valuable resource but a living legacy from its founding families. Though the names and details are unique to the city, the story of Worcester’s urban forest is also the story of the insight and sensibilities of past generations, of cultural values and political priorities that shaped the urban landscape of our nation. Trees at Risk explains how Worcester’s urban forest has reached this critical turning point and what citizens can do to restore our publicly owned trees—providers of shade, clean air and shelter from heat, wind and cold—and enable them to thrive in a modern urban environment. This book’s challenge is a clarion call to all cities to preserve and protect their sylvan treasures before it is too late. |
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"A major historical work with a strong environmental message"
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