Working with the Neighborhood: Paula C.

The Ice Storm:

It was during a horrible ice storm in December of 2008 that Paula unexpectedly lost a number of her trees. Little did she know that this incident would lead to the discovery of the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) around Quinsigamond Community College. Immediately after this storm, at the turn of the new year, every tree that was or could be a beetle host was removed from the city. Paula distinctly remembers the enormous cranes that appeared in everyone's backyards as the tree removal project began. Certainly, the ALB was a bioinvasion that nobody could have anticipated.

Post-ALB:

After the ALB hit, Paula noticed a lack of shade that summer which noticeably increased her air conditioning use. She knew something had to be done, and with the collaboration and support of Worcester Tree Initiative (WTI), Paula hosted meetings at her house to plan the replanting of the neighborhood. WTI stressed the importance of varying tree species to ensure biodiversity, and now the neighborhood blooms with tulip trees, sweet gum, oak, and dogwood trees. Although tree roots have created new bumps in the sidewalk, the yellow flowers on her tulip trees are beautiful, and Paula could not be happier.

Paula's dormant Tulip Tree in the Spring

Yellow flowers from a Tulip Tree

Natural Disasters in Worcester:

The 2008 ice storm was not the first natural disaster Paula’s neighborhood faced. In fact, in 1953 the area was hit by a tornado. She recounted how 4pm came and the sky turned dark; soon after the tornado leveled houses and destroyed trees. After the destruction, the city of Worcester replanted the neighborhood solely with Norway Maples, a favorite tree of the ALB. Indeed, 55 years before the discovery of the invasive insect, nobody could have anticipated that those Maple saplings would fuel the ALB’s attack on the neighborhood.

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