Calling on Volunteers

Organizers of the Tree Farm’s Annual Arbor Day clean up welcome your help on April 25

By Laura Eisener

Volunteers are invited to join the Saugus Tree Committee, SAVE and Saugus Garden Club members at the Tree Farm Saturday, April 25, for our annual Arbor Day clean up and maintenance day. The Tree Farm exists to grow sapling trees that have been donated or purchased until they are a size that can be used as street trees or park trees around the town. Many trees raised at the Tree Farm in past years have taken their places on streets, grounds of former schools and other public sites.

This year, the Tree Farm maintenance and planting will take place on Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to noon. The rain date is May 2.

“We need help weeding and cleaning up along with digging holes on the right side of the farm to transplant our small saplings,” Tree Committee Chair Nancy Prag said. “The main focus will be working on the right side of the farm.”

Volunteers need not have special skills or experience, and can come for the whole event or any portion that fits their schedule. The Tree Committee recommends that volunteers wear comfortable work clothes, bring garden/work gloves, wear sunscreen and bring your own spring water. If you have a shovel or rake, or small saw or clippers, you may want to bring those as well, but the Tree Committee will also have some extra tools and work gloves if you don’t have your own.

The Saugus Tree Farm is located adjacent to the rail trail. There is very limited parking in a dirt area next to the Tree Farm fence, but the best parking option is Central Street near the Northern Strand trail, facing toward Boston Street (near Dynasty Upholstery). Walk down the path about a quarter of a mile and take a right down the dirt road (you will see a metal gate on the opposite side).

Alternatively, you could take Jasper Street (between the bike trail crossing and the rotary) from Central Street, take your second right, Cross Street (small printing on the street sign says to Auburn St.), then bear left on Auburn St. Park along the street near the Pioneer Building, a small stone building.

Walk through the driveway between 25 and 27 Auburn St. and straight across the rail trail; continue down the dirt road, which turns left to the Tree Farm. There is some very limited parking, usually used for delivering trees and supplies to the farm.

This Arbor Day activity is a great time to see the Tree Farm, as leaves are just beginning to emerge, and to be part of the process that goes into nurturing our public trees.