Where Are the Trees Going?

We used to value trees when we built houses

In the Loring Hill neighborhood, one can still find many old-growth trees only a few feet from the houses. When this neighborhood was developed, in the mid 1960s, very few trees outside the footprint were removed. This aerial photo of Baskin and Loring roads from 1971 (right) shows what the neighborhood looked like only a few years after development, attesting to the fact that we can build houses without removing so many trees.

Today's Development

In today's hot housing market, Lexington is seeing around 80 homes per year being torn down. Unfortunately, many developers are clear-cutting lots in the process of rebuilding.

←Scroll through for a small sample of the before and after satellite images of recent development in Lexington.

New Subdivisions

The Tree Bylaw is supposed to apply to each individual new property under development. However, it is only being applied to the subdivision as a whole, which means it only protects trees on the perimeter of the subdivision, leaving entire developments to be clear cut.

Town Trees

Time and time again, we see Town projects resort to removing significant trees without consideration for their value or for alternatives that would preserve trees. Quite simply, the Town does not hold itself to the same standard that it holds private builders. And if the trees are not classified as public shade trees (as found along a street), the public need not be and is not informed.