Fall Into Trees: Manchester’s Urban Forest

The last week of October brought a stretch of glorious fall weather in Manchester, tempting dog walkers to Singing Beach and leaf-peeping walkers to the streets and parks.  The fall foliage seems particularly vibrant this year, with scarlet red maples, burgundy pin oaks, multicolored sassafras, stop light yellow hickories, orange-blushed sugar maples, and everything in between.  Manchester’s urban forest is in its glory this time of year, and nowhere is this more evident than downtown.

Unfortunately, by the nature of their location, downtown trees are often under stress from a lack of water and adequate soil volume.  On Wednesday morning, Friends of Manchester Trees (FOMT) arranged for a soil refresh for the Post Office pin oak (Quercus palustris) and new understory plantings.  The goal was to recreate, as much as possible, a forest-floor environment by decompacting the soil and adding organic material through vertical mulching.

Local resident Maggie Graves, a certified arborist with Hartney Greymont, oversaw the work, which was performed with an air spade.  The tool uses compressed air to loosen compacted soil without damaging the delicate root structure of the mature tree at the corner of the property.  

As on-site technician Christopher Reardon explained, “In any managed landscape, if you’re not leaving the biomass (leaves), you have to replenish it or you get a desert.”

Vertical columns of new mulch and biochar now extend throughout the planting areas on either side of the Post Office entrance.  This newly planted pocket forest is already attracting birds and pollinators.

Later that day, Friends of Manchester Trees held its annual meeting at Tuck’s Point, elected its new Board of Directors, and hosted a tree walk around the park led by Manchester Tree Warden Tom Henderson and Maggie Graves, the newest member of the board.

Urban forestry management requires persistence, accurate data, and ongoing care, but the rewards for our town are numerous.  The Friends are currently undertaking a detailed inventory of Manchester’s public trees to assess species diversity, size, health, and canopy cover.  Every season showcases the beauty of our trees, and they deserve our stewardship.

Jody Morse is president of Friends of Manchester Trees.