Boston Council Hearing Spotlights District 2's Severe Urban Tree Canopy Deficit

BOSTON — May 9, 2025 — Boston City Council committee hears testimony on severe tree canopy shortfall in District 2, where Chinatown has just 7 to 8 percent coverage against a 27 percent citywide average. The Committee on Environmental Justice, Resiliency, and Parks, chaired by Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata and led by sponsor Councilor Edward M. Flynn, heard from advocates, city officials, and more than a dozen public commenters at the May 9 hearing on Docket 0252. Daveed Meshulam, Executive Director of Speak for the Trees Boston, disclosed that his organization lost $750,000 in terminated federal Inflation Reduction Act grants in the past two months, forcing a pause in expansion; meanwhile the city confirmed it retains an $11.4 million IRA grant funding the Boston Tree Alliance, which has planted roughly 160 trees on private property. The Parks Department reported planting 276 trees in District 2 in 2024 and plans 162 more this spring, and said its urban forestry workforce has grown from three to 15 staff since the city's 20-year Urban Forest Plan launched in 2022. Standard tree planting costs roughly $1,500 per tree; more durable Silva Cell installations that prevent root damage to sidewalks run approximately $30,000 per tree.