As part of the ongoing effort to save heritage trees in South Boston, Southie Trees has been hard at work trying to protect Old Colony’s elms and maples during the planning stages for Phase II construction.
Old Colony began its facelift last year with the first phase scheduled to finish up by next summer. When Phase I was first put into action, most of the trees that were decades old were torn down to make room for the new building layout. Much to the community’s dismay, lush green foliage was replaced with wire fences and caution tape. Southie Trees is determined to make sure the Old Colony residents will have a louder voice during Phase II construction.
Phase II of the new development layout is well underway and as plans are being finalized, Southie Trees has been in constant contact with the Boston Housing Authority. In addition to the tree survey that was conducted with help from students from ABCD earlier this summer, they organized a meeting with the Old Colony reconstruction project team. Representatives from the BHA, Beacon Communities as well as their arborist and landscape architect met on Tuesday to discuss the most recent plans for Phase II. After Southie Trees delivered their presentation, the OC team discussed efforts they’ve been making to preserve as many trees as possible. Hearing the BHA’s interest in protecting trees deemed healthy enough to make it through construction is great news for South Boston’s residents. Southie Trees will continue to meet with the Old Colony team over the next couple weeks to try and reach an agreement that pleases both parties. With all the economic and environmental benefits that trees offer to the community, there is a lot at stake to save these other green giants.
Want to read more about Tuesday’s meeting? Check out this article from Boston.com
If you want to get involved in Southie Trees’ efforts, join our Facebook page and keep checking for news and updates!
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