Tree Planting Public Forum Scheduled In Guilford

GUILFORD, CT — The Town of Guilford will hold a public forum on the proposed tree planting set to take place on Route 77 this spring.

One-hundred trees will be planted on Route 77 (Whitfield, Broad and Church Streets) from the southwest corner of the Green to the I-95 interchange, "thereby creating an enhanced gateway to (and between) the major commercial and civic centers of the town," Guilford said in a news release.

"As part of the tree planting project existing trees located in front of the Whitfield Street businesses which are in declining health will be removed and replaced with new trees. Additional trees will be planted on Church Street in the tree lawns between the road and the sidewalk."

A public meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 27, will further explain the program and its goals, according to the town. The meeting will be held at the Guilford Community Center and via Zoom at 7:30 p.m.

Planting within the sate "Right of Way" is possible due to a recent change in CT Department of Transportation policy, the town said.

Previously, annual plantings were restricted to town roads within the village district and were paid for by town allocations, grants from the Guilford Foundation, a town tree fund supported by penalties paid by private owners/developers, and contributions from the Guilford Garden Club's tree planting program "Greenwich of Guilford."

"There is no cost to abutting property owners. That program will continue this spring as a separate project. Its geographical breadth will now be increased to include Route 146, but plantings along the Route 1 corridor will require future grants," the town noted.

The cost for the Route 77 plantings and maintenance will be covered by a grant, approved by the Board of Selectmen, from the town's allocation of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

In its application to the Board of Selectmen, the Tree Advisory Board quoted both the U.S. Forest Service and the Arbor Day Foundation to explain the benefits of a robust tree program:

• Trees help clean the air of pollutants
• Trees absorb carbon dioxide, removing and storing the carbon
• Trees help clean drinking water,
• Trees provide much-needed cooling
• Trees help save energy,
• Trees benefit individual mental health and community sense of well-being
• Trees benefit wildlife by proving vital habitat
• Trees help calm traffic and reduce crime

Additionally, the town noted that trees help increase property values.

"The U.S. Forest Service calculates that there is more than $8,000 increase in property values on a well-treed street," the town added.