Can A Forest Have Too Many Trees? In Reading, the Answer Is Yes

READING, Ma. - Reading's town forest has a problem. There are too many trees and some of them must go.

When last we heard from the Town Forest Committee the eight-member committee was warning residents about the dangers of dog feces. That was last September in a message to residents who walk their dogs in the town forest.

Tuesday night at the Select Board meeting the committee, led by chair Bill Sullivan, introduced a task that the town can no longer avoid. Reading's town forest needs thinning. Back in the 1930s, the town planted trees as part of a project to harvest the wood. That was done for some time but when it ceased, Reading's forest started looking more like a corn field. As board member John Halsey said, "It doesn't look like a forest and it never really has."

Today the trees are too close together and the result is unhealthy trees. It's also a safety risk as the trees become more vulnerable to environmental stresses. A healthy forest has small, medium, and large trees. Reading's forest is a collection of unhealthy large trees ... a forest of corn stalks.

But the Town Forest Committee has a plan. Using two areas - including the area around the council rings - the committee proposes thinning out the roughly six acres of forest. The goal is to remove the Red Pines, which are more suited for northern climates, and let White Pines take over. By thinning the forest it will be safer with less dead and falling trees in an area that attracts many Scouting events. It will also lead to controlling the invasive Buckthorn that is taking over the forest.

Dealing with the problem in 2019 is more involved than grabbing a chain saw and getting to work. There has to be a public meeting to get your input. Then bid documents have to be prepared, which lead to permits, followed by the project being put out to bid. Then come the chain saws. So don't expect anything soon.

There was more on the board's agenda.

If you guessed 92, you're correct. That's the number of dogs already registered for the June 15 dog parade, one of several events in the grand finale of Reading's 375th celebration. Jeanne Borawski and Alan Foulds were on hand to update the board on how the town celebration is going and they couldn't be happier. "Attendance exceeded our wildest hopes," said Borawski of Friday's opening night. Porchfest is coming Saturday and 46 bands are slated to play at 32 different locations across town. Upcoming events can be found here.

Town Clerk Laura Gemme told the board about the possibility of combining the 2020 town election with the state presidential primary. The town election is tentatively scheduled for April 3 with the presidential primary March 3. By combining the two the town could safe an estimated $9,000. But if the town election is moved back to March 3 it would cause a huge staffing issue for the town. The presidential primary is expected to get a 50 percent or more turnout and the logistical challenges for Gemme and her staff would be enormous. Reading has 19,952 registered voters.