PHOTO BY MEGHAN ERKKINEN

Crews from Evergreen Tree Care climbed more than 70 trees in Milton’s Triangle Park, trimming branches to make the wooded area safer and healthier.

Crews trim trees in Triangle Park

By Meghan Erkkinen

Milton’s Triangle Park is looking a lot brighter ever since the city hired tree trimmers to lighten up the park’s wooded area.

During the week of July 21, crews from Evergreen Tree Care removed branches and some trees to make Triangle Park’s tiny forest safer and healthier for both residents and the plants themselves. The crews removed at least six trees, and more than 70 trees were thinned.

“It’s remarkably brighter and lighter in there,” said Park Board Chair Lois Zaroudny. “The area particularly around the restrooms is all cleared out.”

The project cost about $20,000. The subject of the trees came about after some concerns by citizens.

“We just were responding to some citizens’ thoughts that it was dark and dreary and scary,” Zaroudny said. “Once we started looking at that and saw what we were really dealing with, it became more of a safety issue and means to preserve the health of some of the trees in there.”

Removing branches does a number of things for urban forests, including reducing movement in strong winds; keeping the trees’ weight more dispersed for safety in storms; eliminating dead branches, which protects trees against dry rot, disease and other problems; and generally improving the health and efficiency of the trees.

“I thought it was a great thing to do, and trees are so important,” Zaroudny said. “It’s very important to take care of the urban forest.”

She noted that trees are beneficial to a city’s health by draining stormwater and cleaning the air.

“I couldn’t be more pleased. The park looks remarkably different from the street,” Zaroudny added. “I hope the community enjoys the bright new park.”

The Park Board and the city are thinking about other projects to brighten up the park, including adding more trees and painting the restrooms. The city is also working on a sidewalk project, and Zaroudny hopes to add an ADA-accessible trail along the park’s perimeter.

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