For more than 40 years Friends of Trees has planted trees all over Chatham and has helped care for town's trees and green spaces. Your generous donation will help us care for our trees, promote stewardship, and replace trees that have succumbed to Chatham's harsh weather conditions, the pressures of property development, and natural diseases and insects. The need to replace what is lost will not stop. Friends of Trees endeavors to keep our tree inventory, a town asset, strong and healthy, and to keep Chatham a green and beautiful place.
Donations
You may make a donation online via PayPal with your credit card or PayPal account or use our mailing address below.
To donate by check, please mail your donation to:
Friends of Trees
PO Box 163
Chatham, MA 02633
If you are interested in a Memorial Tree for a friend or loved one, please see our Memorial Tree page to learn how.
Friends of Trees, Inc. is a 501c-3 governed by a Board of Directors and supported fully by donations.
Volunteer
Like many non-profit organizations, Friends Of Trees has volunteer opportunities, albeit modest. Volunteers help us with some of the maintenance projects we undertake. For example, once a year (usually in the spring) we clean out the weeds growing around the base of the younger trees in Chase Park, Kate Gould Park, Veterans Field, the Community Center, and the playground. The park ground crew then adds a layer of mulch to help retain moisture and manage weeds.
This is an important task because when weeds grow near the trunks of trees the park ground crew uses string trimmers to cut the weeds. In too many cases the strings damage the tender bark on the young trees which may impact their health making them susceptible to insects and disease. There is evidence of this on several trees in Chase Park. Additionally, mowers may run over or into the plaques that lie at the base of memorial trees.
Another independent project where volunteers may engage is by providing us with photos of trees around town that are of interest. In addition, we’re always interested in books about trees that people read.
We maintain a reading list in the Resources section of this website.
Please contact us if you are interested in any of these opportunities.
Advocate
Friends of Trees is committed to educating the public about the important role of trees in our individual lives, in our community, and across the planet.
Communities in Massachusetts must comply with the MGL Chapter 87, the Shade Tree Law. This law is not widely known, but it should be. Below is a section from the Law that explains what it intends to protect. Basically, if any private party wishes to cut or trim a tree that is in the layout of a public roadway, they must notify the tree warden who will then hold a public hearing. If any citizen objects to the proposed tree work, the tree warden may refer the request to the select board.
Friends of Trees has attended several of these hearings to speak for protection of the trees, or more likely to request replacement if the tree must be taken.
An example of Friends of Trees successful advocacy is the 2022 request by Eversource to remove 60 trees in the roadway layout of Middle Road so they could install new power poles. A hearing was held by the select board. The board asked Friends of Trees to work with Eversource on a mitigation plan. Eversource agreed to replant the disturbed area with native trees and shrubs, with a 3-year commitment to maintain them.
Friends of Trees has also spoken against unnecessary tree removal from Chatham’s public lands. Forests and woodlands provide respite for citizens, services to the environment, and habitat for wildlife.
Many communities have gone further than the Shade Tree Law by enacting a tree ordinance or bylaw to provide greater protection for trees. These communities recognize trees as being part of their green infrastructure and the value of maintaining their tree canopy in an effort to ensure that there is not a net loss of tree coverage in their community.