Worcester tree commission outlines phased approach at Newton Hill after EAB removals

The Worcester City Urban Forestry Tree Commission discussed early-season emerald ash borer (EAB) removals at Newton Hill and agreed the site needs a master-plan-driven, phased approach to replacement planting and facility upgrades. The discussion took place during the commission’s Oct. 9 meeting.

Rob, the parks staff liaison, said crews removed “four or five” trees this spring–summer and that some nearby trees had been treated by the neighborhood. He told the commission the larger site needs work from the “toe of the slope to the street” on Highland and Pleasant streets and cited aging tennis and basketball courts, lighting and paths as interdependent considerations that must inform tree work.

“Master planning is the guiding force,” Rob said. “There’s a public engagement portion, and then we break the project into phases based on what we can fund each year.” He described staging needs — entrances, stockpile and laydown areas, and underground infrastructure connections — that typically come before major plantings.

Commission members described a successional planting strategy that staggers plantings and mixes sizes to avoid creating a new single-age or single-species canopy. “The plan is to treat the ones that are in less rough shape to keep that canopy,” said Joy (chair). Commissioners and staff favored combining smaller, easy-to-plant stock with fewer, larger container-grown trees where contractors can source and transplant them, while noting higher costs for moving mature trees.

Staff said Newton Hill is currently managed as part of Elm Park and that the department’s recent priority work has focused on the pond and water areas. Rob said he and project-management staff expect to return with site survey information and possible sequencing ideas by November or December.

The commission kept Newton Hill on its old-business list for follow-up. Commissioners discussed coordinating public outreach to solicit community input on amenity priorities before finalizing phasing or planting lists.

Rob and commissioners noted constraints: contractor costs for moving larger trees, the need for a baseline survey of existing site features, and the risk of planting before court-approved or finalized recreational layout changes. The commission agreed staff would continue internal coordination and report back with a more detailed plan and schedule.