Jack Mitchell and his girlfriend moved to Worcester from Richmond, Virginia, about a year ago. Mitchell says they've enjoyed their new city — the things to do, places to eat. It doesn't hurt that their apartment on Bell Hill is conveniently just a few minutes from where his girlfriend attends the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Still, there's something that Mitchell says he's struggled to acclimate to.
"Coming from Virginia, you've got a lot of trees everywhere," he said. "Over here, it's kind of just like a concrete jungle. I prefer more trees just because, like, more shade."
The shortage of trees may be relatively new for Mitchell, but it's not for other people who have spent more time in his neighborhood and others like it. Although thousands of trees have been planted around Worcester over the last decade, the city has spent roughly one-third less on urban forestry than other communities of comparable size and population, according to Worcester's Urban Forestry Master Plan.
Today, several suburban neighborhoods have an expansive urban forest. The biggest gaps remain in dense, working-class areas, like Bell Hill and Vernon Hill, where triple-deckers and asphalt abound. The lack of tree canopy — and resulting dearth of shade — means these neighborhoods experience some of Worcester's most intense urban heat island effects, with temperatures often running significantly higher than in greener areas.
"We know that urban tree planting and greenspaces have a significant impact on heat, air quality and public health," said Grace Sliwoski, an associate director at the Worcester-based nonprofit Regional Environmental Council. "High rates of asthma and higher average surface land temperatures are concentrated in the areas of the city with the least access to open space and tree canopy."
City officials and local environmentalists say they're trying to make the distribution of trees around Worcester more equitable. However, several factors, including limited funding, have hamstrung that progress.
"It's not an easy lift — or otherwise, like the old saying goes, if it was easy, we would have done it already," said John Odell, Worcester's chief sustainability officer.
Making up for cutting down trees
Worcester has made progress expanding its urban tree canopy in several areas. Along Main Street, lanky saplings dance in the wind. Behind the Worcester Public Library, a Miyawaki forest consisting of young oaks and hickories slowly boosts biodiversity.
According to Worcester's Urban Forestry Master Plan, the city's tree inventory increased 49% between 2005 and 2022, rising from 15,486 to 23,137 trees. Worcester's urban forest has also become more diverse, reducing dependence on a handful of species that can leave communities vulnerable to pests and disease.
The new trees have helped make up for the loss of thousands of others that were cut down in response to an Asian longhorned beetle infestation that spread across Worcester County. In other cases, trees have disappeared simply because they don't align with owners' plans for their properties.
Colin Novick, the executive director of the nonprofit Greater Worcester Land Trust, says it's not unusual for some property owners to cut down trees because they see them as nuisances. That can especially be the case in areas congested with three-deckers where an elm or oak can make the difference between an extra parking space or not.
"I think that if someone had a three-decker and has almost no space around it other than the building itself, they're going to take out the trees," Novick said. "They see it as an improvement project. Everything from, 'I don't have to pick up leaves, to I'll have more sun, or trees are unruly.'"
Novick suggested that Worcester could strengthen its tree ordinance by making it harder to cut down trees on private property. However, he said that restrictive approach may upset property owners. Another option is to simply encourage people to value their trees more.
Many residents in areas lacking trees rent rather than own their homes. Novick and other tree advocates have found that, in some cases, renters want trees but can't secure permission to plant them from their landlords who don't live on the properties. In other cases, landlords supported plantings but tenants couldn't commit to watering and maintaining the trees while they're still saplings.
State and local programs have tried to address this by educating residents and landlords about the positive effects of trees on air quality and public health. Through grants from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, staff from the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill went door-to-door in areas like Bell Hill and Grafton Hill, distributing bilingual materials and offering free tree plantings on private property. The effort succeeded in planting 100 trees in 2023 and nearly 200 more in 2024.
"The educational aspects are something that we've been able to continue through different grant funds, and they are having a ripple effect," said Grace Elton, CEO of the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill.
More work to do
In addition to promoting trees in private yards, Worcester officials are trying to expand the urban canopy along streets and sidewalks. But infrastructure, like overhead utility lines and underground pipes, can make that difficult.
"Above ground, [it may look] like there should be a tree there, but below ground, that tree is going to die if you put that tree there because there's not enough space for its rooting system," said Joy Winbourne, chair of the Worcester Urban Forestry Commission.
In many areas, city officials say, the only way to plant trees is to first redesign streets and sidewalks. Odell, Worcester's chief sustainability officer, said that can be prohibitively expensive and takes a lot of coordination between different city departments. It's not even always best for the trees, Novick added, if they're planted in small three-by-three foot beds and struggle to secure enough water or end up damaged by cars.
Novick said the main way to ensure young saplings thrive is by regularly caring for the trees. While Worcester's urban forestry funding is less than that of other cities like Cambridge, Worcester leaders have tried to bolster tree maintenance efforts using American Rescue Plan Act funding. Over the past two years, the city has invested more than $930,000 in ARPA funding for new trees and maintenance, with a focus on areas most affected by urban heat.
"We want to make sure that everyone has those benefits," Odell said. "We're working together on this to maximize our limited resources."
Residents around some of Worcester's densest neighborhoods devoid of trees say they welcome those efforts. Bonita Maxwell, who lives on Vernon Hill, noted that New England is known for its trees and their changing colors. She said all communities should have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of trees.
Just down the street, Annette Lopez added that more leafy canopy can mean the difference between people cherishing their community or simply viewing it as a place to live.
"It would mean coming home and being proud of the neighborhood," Lopez said. "I feel like right now… it's not somewhere where if I bring my friends, I'm excited to bring them around."
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