The planting of more trees in and around Crompton Park would help combat high temperatures and decrease flooding in various ways. Trees have many properties which can be used to Green Island’s advantage.
First, the leaves and branches of trees create shade under them. While shade is nice on a hot summer day, it also plays an important role in decreasing urban heat and increasing air quality. The trees block sunlight from being absorbed by the concrete below them, keeping it cool. Without trees, concrete surfaces heat up during the day and continue to release that heat during the evening, in fact, according to Clark University’s Human Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) program, surfaces that aren’t shaded by trees can be up to 30 degrees hotter. There are many uncovered asphalt structures around Crompton Park such as I-290, which help keep the neighborhood hot on summer nights.
The leaves and branches of trees also intercept and capture rainwater during rainstorms. This helps slow the rate of rainfall onto the ground below trees and lessen flooding in areas nearby. Trees also fight flooding with their roots as they absorb moisture from the soil and promote water infiltration which is the process of water soaking through the ground into the soil, keeping it from running over the surface. This would help decrease storm runoff and contribute to controlling flooding.
The Green Worcester Plan (2020) seeks to increase the number of city trees. It focuses on areas like Green Island where there aren’t many trees compared to other neighborhoods in the city. According to the plan, “Planting trees to expand the city’s tree canopy is among the most effective sustainability and climate change adaptation actions that a city can take. Planting trees provides multiple sustainability benefits.” (Green Worcester Plan, 58). The Green Worcester Plan has a goal of maintaining and improving the existing green spaces in the city such as Crompton Park. It calls for installing porous asphalt, in Crompton’s parking lot for instance, to help with flooding. Storm water would flow through the asphalt and into the ground rather than run off the top and overflow the sewers.
Worcester needs the support of its residents to realize the objectives of the Plan. For example, Green Island residents can request that a tree be planted by following this City website link. The map to the left is from the website and shows there have been planting requests already placed on both sides of Millbury Street and one within Crompton Park, but for real change to occur, more requests must be made.
Clark University’s Human Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) program has done considerable research on the trees of Green Island and Crompton Park. One recent report shows the projected benefits which would come from more trees being planted along the sides of Ellsworth Street (pictured below). HERO’s data shows that Ellsworth Street is consistently 8-12 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than Worcester Airport. It explains that if trees were to be planted every 11 feet, after 30 years of growth the surface temperatures of the street would decrease by about 2 degrees rather than continuing to rise. This would be from the increased shade offered by the new trees. At present Green Island has a 9.2% tree cover and a 71% impervious surface cover. Clark’s HERO Program compared Green Island to Worcester’s Columbus Park neighborhood, which has a 45% tree cover and 44% impervious surface cover. They found a sizeable temperature difference between the two neighborhoods. In 2021 there were 298 street trees in all of Green Island and only 83 sites where more were planned to be planted.
As Worcester and its neighborhoods slowly become hotter and receive more extreme weather due to changing climates and environments, it is important to think about planting trees as an option. Further increases in temperatures will lead to heat that is genuinely dangerous, leading to issues such as respiratory disease and negative impacts on the neighborhood’s emotional health. Even though trees require maintenance, such as watering and raking leaves, their long-term positive effects will more than pay for these efforts. Especially in the Crompton Park area where heat and flooding are noticeable issues, trees would definitely make a huge difference. Imagine a greener Green Island, flourishing with trees and other plant life which aren’t only aesthetically pleasing, but also keep the neighborhood cool and fight flooding.
References
City of Worcester, MA. Customer Service, https://www3.worcesterma.gov/Applications/OCSC/Home/RequestGeneral?sDisplayAs=Tree+Planting.
City of Worcester, MA. “Green Worcester Plan.” Green Worcester Plan | City of Worcester, MA, https://www.worcesterma.gov/sustainability-resilience/green-worcester.
City of Worcester, MA. “Trees in the City – Right Tree, Right Place.” Trees in the City – Right Tree, Right Place | City of Worcester, MA, https://www.worcesterma.gov/parks/trees.
City of Worcester, MA. “City of Worcester, MA.” City of Worcester’s Green Worcester Sustainability and Resilience Strategic Plan Approved by City Council | City of Worcester, MA, https://www.worcesterma.gov/announcements/city-of-worcester-s-green-worcester-sustainability-and-resilience-strategic-plan-approved-by-city-council.
EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-trees-help-reduce-runoff#:~:text=Trees%20are%20increasingly%20recognized%20for,the%20soil%20that%20promote%20infiltration.
Gould-Schultz, Apple, Henriques, David, Hughes, Sarah, McLaren, Caleigh, and Regenye, Madeline. “HERO 2021 Sustainable Worcester.” 2021, Clark University, Worcester. PowerPoint Presentation. Download HERO_2021_Final Presentation(2).pdf
Martin, Deborah, and Rogan, John. “Human Environment Regional Observatory (HERO).” 22 March 2023, Clark University, Worcester. PowerPoint Presentation. https://libguides.holycross.edu/ld.php?content_id=71140386
Schwan, Henry. “Climate change a ‘grave concern’ in Worcester, and the city has a plan, but is it achievable? – That is the assessment of one environmental expert at Clark University. Solving the problem is a major challenge – it starts with planting more trees and retaining the city’s existing green space..” Worcester Telegram & Gazette: Web Edition Articles (MA), sec. News, 27 Aug. 2021. NewsBank: Access World News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/184A3FCD00AB14E0. Accessed 22 Aug. 2022.
Schwan, Henry. “New Study: Plant More Trees in Worcester to Combat Rising Temperature.” The Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Telegram & Gazette, 21 Jan. 2023, https://www.telegram.com/story/news/environment/2023/01/20/more-trees-needed-in-worcester-to-cut-rising-temperatures-study-says/69824062007/.
Varuzzo, Andrew, and Harvey, Daina. “Disproportionalities in the Urban Forest: Analyzing the Role of Stewardship Agencies in Dictating the Distribution of an Urban Environmental Resource.” Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 167, 2017, pp. 232-239, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.06.006. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.
Zabret, Katarina, and Mojca Šraj. “Can Urban Trees Reduce the Impact of Climate Change on Storm Runoff?” Urbani Izziv, vol. 26, 2015, pp. S165–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24920954. Accessed 15 Mar. 2023.