Pages
Stay In Touch
More
© 2021 The Somerville Times. All rights reserved.
The City of Somerville is currently seeking applicants for a member of the public with expertise in urban forestry to join the Urban Forestry Committee, as well as a youth member for the Committee. The Committee’s input is intended to support and guide policies and plans currently being reviewed and advanced by the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development and the Department of Public Works. The Committee shall advise the city on matters related to the management and maintenance of all existing and new trees and shrubs on public grounds and public ways. Members may also review issues related to the health, effective maintenance, and protection of existing trees and shrubs on public grounds and public ways; update information in the tree inventory; support public education and outreach on urban forestry; and provide comments during any city permitting review processes.
The Committee meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Committee may occasionally be asked to develop educational materials, prepare and conduct community presentations, attend site visits, and/or support City staff during Arbor Day celebrations. Positions currently vacant include:
(1) Volunteer Member (must have expertise in the field of urban forestry).
The volunteer members of the Committee are appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Council for three-year terms. The vacant position must be filled by an applicant with expertise in the field of urban forestry.
Qualifications:
Experience in urban forestry is required for this position. In addition, experience in any of the following areas is highly desired: forestry, arboriculture, landscape maintenance, landscape architecture, horticulture, soil biology, ecology, urban design, streetscapes, civil engineering, public relations, and community outreach. Applicants with other relevant or transferable experience are also encouraged to apply.
How to Apply:
Residents interested in volunteering to serve on the Committee are invited to send a letter or an e-mail of interest along with their resume to the Urban Forestry & Landscape Planner, Dr. Vanessa Boukili (vboukili@somervillema.gov or 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143). All applications must be received by November 4, by the close of business. For more information, please contact Dr. Boukili at the email address above.
(2) Youth Members
Somerville teens with an interest in environmental issues, gardening, agriculture, ecology, and other related fields are encouraged to apply for two open positions on the city’s Urban Forestry Committee. To apply you must be a Somerville resident between the ages of 14 and 17.
How to apply:
Send a letter or email explaining why you would like to volunteer for the Urban Forestry Committee to Senior Urban Forestry and Landscape Planner Dr. Vanessa Boukili (vboukili@somervillema.gov or 93 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA 02143) by 5:00 p.m on Monday, November 4. Please also include your contact information. For more information, please contact Dr. Boukili at vboukili@somervillema.gov.
The City of Somerville does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities free of charge, upon request.
Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at the address noted below:
Nency Salamoun, JD
NSalamoun@somervillema.gov
(617) 625-6600, Ext. 2323 (Voice)
(617) 808-4851 (TTY)
If you found this article of interest, please consider sharing it.
The city, as far as I can tell, does absolutely no work on public trees aside from planting a vastly insufficient number of replacement trees each year, which are then abandoned.
Here is what needs to happen: Sufficient full-time city tree personnel need to be tasked with maintaining and developing the public trees. This means shaping every single tree seasonally, trimming lower branches to allow for 7ft of height clearance on all sidewalks, fixing all strings of lights in the trees, fixing all cobblestones and weeding the base regularly, and removing and replacing all dead trees and then properly caring for the replacements. The crews should have a regular schedule for performing this maintenance, especially along all major streets and squares, and also be proactive in patrolling side streets for obvious maintenance issues.
Walk even along Somerville Ave from Porter into Union Square. The trees are HORRIBLE. None of the above is being done on any of the trees at all. Why?
I know it costs money, but everybody can get onboard with public tree maintenance. MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
I agree with what the guy above said. But hey, we get our SomerStreets and Fluff Fests. That’s all that matters!
And they have planted some terrible tree species! The ones on my street have sap that covers cars and the street in a sticky mess that’s difficult to remove.