In many of our parks, lining our streets, in our school yards and on private lands, Friends of Manchester Trees has planted over 500 Commemorative Trees. For the last 9 years, Mimi McDougal has gracefully and with great care managed this beloved program. We are grateful to our Board colleague for championing, building awareness for this singular way to honor people and places. Continuing to guide this initiative in the New Year, we welcome Friend’s Skylar Crofton’s leadership.
Historically, a record of the Commemorative Trees is located in a folder in the Manchester Library with each tree listed in the year given.
Friends has embarked on a notable initiative piloting an online list of said trees and, over time, these trees will be marked with a unique commemorative sign featuring a QR code, leading you to a complete description and history of the tree. An innovative feature engages honoring families’ ability to add to the tree’s history – planting information, growth, photos and mapping. Plants Map is the Virginia-based company that produces these elegantly designed signs and archives the information. We are starting to place the interactive signage to trees on Tuck’s Point and downtown. Tom Henderson, our Town Tree Warden, Friends’ and our communities’ invaluable consulting arborist, has been instrumental in this task.
We welcome your consideration of a Commemorative Tree as a gift this year honoring your friends and family. Your contact to learn more about giving a Commemorative Tree is Skylar Crofton - scoonsb@gmail.com. For more information about Friends of Manchester Trees, see our website getrootedmanchester.org, follow us on Instagram, or write to us at P.O. Box 103, Manchester, MA 01944.
