Large State Grant Plants The Seeds For Somerville Tree Effort

SOMERVILLE, MA — The city is planning a new effort aimed at expanding its tree canopy and addressing extreme heat, Mayor Jake Wilson announced.

Somerville was awarded $187,200 through the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program for the Green and Cool Somerville: Sustainable Sidewalks and Trees initiative. The funding will support new approaches to planting and maintaining trees along the city’s narrow streets, improve sidewalk accessibility, and reduce conflicts between tree roots and underground infrastructure.

“In Somerville, we ask a lot of every inch of public space. Our sidewalks need to be accessible, our trees need room to grow, and our underground infrastructure needs to work,” Wilson said. “This grant will help us find solutions that meet those needs together and prepare us to build greener, cooler, and more comfortable streets.” The city will work with a consultant to evaluate potential planting and sidewalk designs for trees in constrained urban spaces. Strategies could include permeable pavement, expanded or modular tree pits, root barriers, engineered soil, in-street planting, and systems that combine stormwater management with trees.

Somerville has approximately 9,300 trees along 97 miles of streets, but tree canopy covers just 14.6 percent of the city. Officials said more than 80 percent of Somerville is considered an urban heat hot spot, while dense development, narrow sidewalks, and underground utilities can make planting new trees difficult. The project will produce an assessment with recommended solutions and identify potential locations for a future pilot program. The city also plans to develop construction-ready designs and bid documents for approximately 100 tree-planting sites. Planning and design work is expected to be completed by June 30, 2027.

“Somerville is one of the most challenging places in the region to plant a tree, but that also gives us an opportunity to develop solutions that could benefit other dense communities,” Senior Urban Forestry and Landscape Planner Vanessa Boukili said. “This project will help us better understand what works, where it works, and how we can give trees the space they need without compromising safe, accessible sidewalks.” Groundwork Somerville will lead community outreach, with residents also expected to have opportunities to provide feedback through two virtual meetings. The Charles River Watershed Association and Mystic River Watershed Association will provide heat-island data and technical input. The city will contribute an additional $25,400 in matching funds and staff time.

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