>> DEPENDING ON THE TYPE -- AND
STRATEGIC PLACEMENT -- TREES NOT ONLY HELP REDUCE ELECTRIC BILLS
WITH THE SHADE AND PROTECTION FROM WIND THAT THEY PROVIDE,
THEY ALSO ADD RESALE VALUE TO A HOME.
BUT CAN TREES ALSO BE
ECONOMIC INDICATORS FOR THE STREETS THEY ARE ON?
CONNECTING POINT'S BRIAN SULLIVAN FINDS OUT AS HE MEETS
UP WITH MEMBERS OF THE FRANKLIN LAND TRUST AND THE NORTHERN
BERKSHIRE COMMUNITY COALITION WHO ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A
THREE-YEAR MASS TREE PLANTING ENDEAVOR IN GREENFIELD, MONTAGUE
AND NORTH ADAMS.
>> THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF
STREETS IN THIS WORLD THOSE WITH TREES AND THOSE WITHOUT.
OKAY.
THAT'S A BIT TONGUE IN CHEEK BUT
ON A SUBCONSCIOUS WHERE PEOPLE ARE MORE AND WALK AND DRIVE DOWN
STREET WITH TREES WITH BRANCHES MEETING IN THE MIDDLE AND
AVOIDING DOWN STREETS THAT DON'T HAVE THIS FEATURE?
MAYBE.
>> WHEN YOU ENTER A STREET WHAT
CANOPY CLOSURE YOU'RE ENTERING SHADE AND SUNLIGHT.
IT HAS AN EFFECT.
IT HAS A CALMING EFFECT.
THEY'VE DONE THE STUDIES ON THE HUMAN BODY, WHEN WE'RE AROUND
GIANT TREES THAT HAS A PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT ON US.
>> WITH THEIR SIGHTS SET ON POSSIBLY RECREATING THAT CANOPY
EFFECT WHERE IT DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE AND PLANTING TREES IN
PLACES WHERE THAT THEY'RE WANTED AND NEEDED, THE EFFORT WILL BE A
COLLABORATIVE ONE BETWEEN THE NBCC AND FRANKLIN LAND TRUST AND
THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION.
THE FINANCING WHICH GOES THROUGH THE DCR ORIGINATES FROM A
FEDERAL AGENCY THAT WAS ACTUALLY FOUNDED BY TEDDY ROOSEVELT IN
>> THIS IS A LAND TRUST THAT WAS
RECEIVED IN 2013 FROM THE U.S. LAND FOREST TO PLANT 200800
TREES PER CITY OVER THE NEXT 3 YEARS AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE
ENTERING INTO OUR SECOND SPRING OF THIS GRANT SO WE'RE GETTING
UNDERWAY.
>> THE DPW OF MONTEGUE AND
GREENFIELD ARE MAJOR PARTNERS IN THIS PROJECT AS WELL ARE THE DAY
WE STOPPED BY, THEY HELPED WITH THE DELIVERY OF OVER 20 TREES.
FROM HERE IT'S UP TO THE MEMBERS OF THE TREE COMMITTEE TO TAG
BEFORE THEY GET DELIVERED.
>> THE WAY IT WORKS WE WILL WORK
WITH THE TREE COMMITTEES OR IN NORTH ADAMS COUNTY OR THE
NORTHERN BERKSHIRE COMMUNITY COALITION ALONG WITH THE
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS TO COME UP WITH A LIST OF TREES TO
ORDER AND LOCATIONS FOR THOSE TREES TO GO IN.
IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THOSE CITIES YOU CAN CALL THE DPW OR
THE NORTHERN BERKSHIRE COMMUNITY COALITION TO REQUEST A TREE FOR
YOUR FRONT YARD AND IT'S FREE.
>> HERE ONE OF THOSE FREE TREES
WAS BEING PLANTED ON PIERCE STREET.
THE ROAD ALSO FEATURES A HEAVILY PLANTED EASTBOUND SIDE WHILE
MOST OF THE PLANTINGS ON THE WEST HAVE THESE WIRES COMING OUT
OF THEM.
BUT THAT'S BEGINNING TO CHANGE.
MUCH TO THE DELIGHT OF THE RESIDENTS WHO'VE USED THESE
TREES AS A MEANS OF BRINGING THEIR LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD CLOSER
TOGETHER.
>> SINCE THE TREE COMMISSION
STARTED PLANTING TREES IN I THINK IT WAS 2014, WE'VE BEEN
WATCHING THEM GROW.
WE LOVE WATCHING THEM GROW, WE
WALK UP AND DOWN THE STREET AND CHECK TO THEM AND WE TALK TO OUR
NEIGHBORS ABOUT THE TREES, TOO SO IT'S A POINT OF CONVERSATIONS
AND COMMUNITY.
>> MEANWHILE, ROUGHLY 30 MILES
NORTHWEST OF HERE THE CITY OF NORTH ADAMS IS BEGINNING TO SEE
A BOOM OF PLANTING.
WITH AN EXHIBITING TREES BEING
HUNG FROM THE CEILING IS BEING RECOGNIZED BY THE TREES COMING
UP FROM THE GROUND BUT IT WASN'T THERE.
URBAN FORESTRY IS STILL A NEW THING IN ADAMS.
IT WASN'T AROUND BACK WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE HERE.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART MANY OF THE PLAN GUESSED WERE
RELEGATED -- PLANTINGS WERE RELEGATED TO DOWNTOWN.
BUT NOW THEY'RE PUTTING UP TREES IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND ON STREETS
THAT, OTHERWISE, MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY.
JUST BEHIND THE HOUSING AUTHORITY ONE TREAT IN
PARTICULAR IS HOME TO A COUPLE OF CONDEMNED PROPERTIES IS ONE
OF THOSE PLACES THIS IS WHAT THE DCR MIGHT CONSIDER AN
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS GO IN THERE AND FIGURE OUT A WAY TO
FIT A TREE IN PEOPLE'S YARD WHO COULDN'T AFFORD A TREE OR DIDN'T
KNOW HOW TO PLANT A TREE, AND WE'RE FOCUSING ON THOSE
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF RESOURCE OR
EDUCATION OR MONEY AND PROVIDE THAT SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO TAKE
PART IN THE BENEFITS OF TREES.
>> BECAUSE OF RESTRICTIONS, HE
HASN'T HAD THE LUXURY OF HAVING VOLUNTEERS BUT THAT HASN'T
SEEMED TO SLOW HIM DOWN.
HIS IS A STORY OF LOCAL BOY
MAKES GOOD AND KEEPING UP WITH THE PLANTINGS MAY APPEAL TO HIS
COMPETITIVE NATURE THIS ALSO IS A LASTING LEGACY AT STAKE.
>> FOR ME, IT'S SPECIAL GROWING UP HERE BECAUSE I'M, LIKE, I GET
TO PLANT TREES IN A COMMUNITY THAT I GREW UP IN AND THEN MY
KIDS AND MAYBE THEIR KIDS WILL WALK UNDERNEATH THESE TREES.