Silver Maple On Federal Street, Salem Served For Over 130 Years

The neighbors of Federal Street were recently saddened when a grand, 130-year-old silver maple reached the end of its life and had to be taken down.

“While it is always sad to lose a tree of this stature, we can be heartened by the many generations of Salem residents who took joy in having it as part of the neighborhood,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll. “Salem is committed to continuing our substantial investment in ongoing tree maintenance and to planting hundreds of new trees, both as a city and through the state’s Greening the Gateway Cities program. With the Century Tree Program and the work of the Tree Commission, I know that we are planting young trees today throughout Salem that will, even 130 years from now, bring the same benefits to future generations of residents.”

The loss of this distinctive tree provides an appropriate moment to highlight city programs that residents can use to request trees to be planted on their property, on city streets and in public spaces.

Here’s how you can request new trees to be planted:

• If you would like a tree to be planted on your street, request it on City of Salem’s “See Click Fix” app, https://seeclickfix.com/salem_ma (->New Request->Tree Planting Request)
• You can request a “Century Tree” to be planted on your property or on public land. Century Trees are tall, majestic trees that will be enjoyed by generations to come. For more information, to request a tree, or to make a donation to support this important program visit www.salem.com/tree-commission.
• Residents and property owners in downtown Salem and certain other neighborhoods can request free trees to be planted on their land (front, side, and back yards) by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation’s “Greening of the Gateway Cities Program.” To find out if you are in the Planting Zone, visit https://www.maurbancanopy.org/town/salem/

“The Salem Tree Commission urges residents to bring as many trees as possible into our city,” says Chair Darleen Melis. Our motto is “Touch the future, plant a tree. Honor a loved one - Celebrate an occasion - Make our city more beautiful."