Gift Tree Planting Project – Massachusetts

Project Description

This Gifted Tree Planting Project is along the Merrimack River Watershed, Massachusetts. The Merrimack River is 117 miles long, starting in New Hampshire, flowing through Massachusetts and eventually empties into the Gulf of Maine. One of the best ways to reduce pollution reaching the Bay is by planting trees. The collective goal of the planting project is to protect water resources, as well as to improve resilience of these new forests to adapt to climate stressors and to maintain forest ecosystem health and vitality.

Trees filter and reduce polluted runoff and decrease greenhouse gases (nitrogen and phosphorus) that cause climate change. Planted near and along the watershed waterways, these trees act as buffers to pollution as well as stabilize riverbanks, cool water temperatures, mitigate flooding, and improve general habitat quality. These trees will play a critical roll in supporting soil health alongside the river and streams and adjacent lands. As a result, drinking water sources are cleansed and native water habitat is improved. Tree species to be planted are indigenous to the area and include Red, Sugar, and Silver Maple, Oak, Spruce, and White Pine.