Malden tree warden outlines new Tree Steward program, recent cemetery and canopy gains

Chris Rosa, Malden’s cemetery superintendent and tree warden, told the City Council that the city will open enrollment for a new Tree Steward volunteer program and summarized recent grant-funded work at Forestdale Cemetery and across the city. The program will require a minimum volunteer commitment and provide training materials; Rosa said the aim is to get residents engaged in identifying stressed trees, weeding tree pits and helping with watering.

Rosa said the city has planted about 800 shade trees in the past three years (roughly two-thirds public, one-third private), and that he has secured about $665,000 in tree-related grants over the past 2½ years. He said $400,000 in grant awards remain pending and a $475,000 Community Preservation Committee grant will fund masonry repointing work at Forestdale Cemetery, with bids coming in under budget by about $30,000. “We really haven't paid for trees or care in about 2 and a half years,”…