Newton is known as the “Garden City.” But an increasing loss of trees means that nickname is becoming less true. It’s estimated that Newton has lost half of its street trees in the past 50 years.

Protect Newton Trees hopes to change that. And they’re enlisting Tree Protectors to help.

Being a Tree Protector involves learning about, and helping to maintain, Newton’s tree canopy (the number and density of trees across the city).

In 2023, Newton passed a tree protection ordinance that is one of the strictest in the state.

Permits are now required to cut down trees more than six inches in diameter. But Protect Newton Trees doesn’t think it went far enough.

One issue that is especially pronounced in Newton, more so than in other communities, is gigantic houses being built on small lots, which usually means ripping up trees to fit more house.

While people may disagree on the aesthetic merits of these huge homes, there’s no debating the fact that ripping up trees can be bad for a whole neighborhood.

That’s because trees, especially large, mature trees, absorb groundwater. Having fewer trees means suddenly everyone else is at risk of flooding that didn’t happen before.

“You can’t put motor oil in a brook that happens to be on your property, because everyone knows that brook affects other people too. Trees are similar,” said Melissa Brown from Protect Newton Trees.

“You can’t put in a drainage system to compensate when you cut down a big tree,” said Ellie Goldberg from the environmental advocacy group Mothers Out Front.

In addition to absorbing groundwater, trees provide shade that is increasingly necessary as summers get hotter.

“Trees deliver relief from extreme heat and poor air quality… we can’t ignore one of the old school, top tier green technologies: our tree canopies,” said Senator Ed Markey at a meeting hosted by the Trees as a Public Good Network, with which Brown is affiliated.

More solar panels are good, but they don’t have to come at the expense of trees.

There’s an anonymous website called ‘Newton Property Rights’ that thinks the ordinance is unfair and damaging to Newton residents’ property values.

Brown’s argument, however, is that in a community like Newton, where houses are close together, trees shouldn’t be seen as one person’s sole domain. “It really does affect communities and neighborhoods when a tree comes down,” she said.

And Newton restricts the rights of property owners to do what they want in other areas as well (for example, bonfires aren’t permitted).

Trees aren’t harmed solely by intentional removal. Another issue in Newton is gas leaks, which is how Mothers Out Front got involved.

“Gas kills trees,” said Goldberg, a long-time public health professional who tries to raise awareness of the harms done by natural gas leaks. “When there’s a leak near a tree, it suffocates and kills the tree.”

Because gas companies make money either way, they aren’t incentivized to fix leaks, she added.

Goldberg also tries to raise awareness of the harmfulness of “mulch volcanoes,” the large rings of mulch around trees which are actually bad for them because the excess mulch can gather mold. Mulch is also highly flammable, so it’s especially dangerous in drier parts of the year.

Brown acknowledged that being pro tree protection can sometimes seem like a way to stymie affordable housing development, but she thinks this is unfair. She thinks Newton can have new housing while keeping old trees. People who live in affordable housing also need trees, especially because poorer people tend to be at higher risk for conditions like asthma that are exacerbated by bad air quality.

You can find out how to calculate the benefit a tree provides, as well as ideas on how you can help protect trees in the community, here.