Boston hearing spotlights low tree canopy in District 2; city outlines planting, cooling and pilot plans

Boston City Council members and city officials said at a May 9 Committee on Environmental Justice, Resiliency, and Parks hearing that expanding the urban tree canopy in District 2 will require both new plantings and sustained maintenance as the city tests pilots for hard-to-plant neighborhoods.

The hearing, convened by Councilor Abriela Colletta Zapata, chair of the Council Committee on Environmental Justice, Resiliency and Parks, and Councilor Ed Flynn, focused on low canopy pockets in Chinatown, the Leather District, South Boston, Fort Point and parts of downtown. Advocates and city agencies described current planting totals, pilot strategies for narrow sidewalks and parking-dense blocks, and shortfalls in federal grant funding the city and nonprofit partners had been relying on.

Why it matters: speakers said the lack of trees contributes to higher summer temperatures, worse air quality and fewer safe, shaded public spaces in neighborhoods with large numbers of seniors, people of color and low-income residents. The issue intersects with multiple agencies’ jurisdictional limits — including state and federal properties — and with dense built infrastructure that limits where trees can be planted or take root.

Key facts and outcomes

- Multiple witnesses cited canopy statistics for District 2 and Chinatown. Councilor Ed Flynn said, “As of 2019, South Boston only had 8% tree coverage, and Chinatown only had 7% compared to the city average of 27%.” Angela Soohoo of the Asian Community Development Corporation said Chinatown has “8% tree canopy compared to 27% citywide” and noted the neighborhood’s density of roughly 7,000 residents in about 0.2 square miles.

- The Boston Parks and Recreation Department reported recent planting and staffing figures for District 2. Todd Miesdor, director of urban forestry for Boston Parks and Recreation, said the city planted nearly 200 trees in District 2 in…