After 78 years of service as the town’s Christmas tree, the ailing concolor fir on the southwest corner of the Common was cut down Sept. 20, and the following day, a Colorado blue spruce was planted nearby. The old tree had grown to more than 80 feet tall, and the trunk had split into two pieces near the top, making it very difficult to string lights each year. This year, faced with the problem of lighting the tree once again, the Parks and Recreation Commission voted to replace it.
Sean Bilodeau (left) and Brian O’Keefe of Acorn Tree & Landscaping spread loam around the newly planted Colorado spruce Bakeri on the Common, Sept. 22. A day earlier the old, dying conifer was taken down. The new, much fuller species of tree will top out at 35-45 feet, making it easier and safer to decorate during the holidays. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
For years Parks and Rec struggled to light the tree in December. Every winter, squirrels chewed through the wires, making restringing an annual necessity. For the past two years, the Fire Department has used its ladder truck and personnel to string the tree, but the height and width of the tree made it a difficult task, and last year the top portion of the tree couldn’t be strung because of the split trunk. This year, the lights on the tree had once again been destroyed by squirrels, and Town Administrator Tim Bragan told Tree Warden JC Ferguson that the town had no plan to light the tree. At the July 19 Parks and Rec meeting, Ferguson provided input on the issue, and the commission voted 3–0 to replace the tree.
Dating the old tree
The number of rings in the stump left behind puts the tree’s age at approximately 94 years (see photo). According to Sean Bilodeau of Acorn Tree and Landscaping, concolor firs don’t usually live that long in a landscaped setting. Bilodeau, whose brother Christian was the previous tree warden in Harvard, said that in addition to its nearing the end of its natural life, the structure of the tree was not good. It had “two tops,” and the junction where the trunk split was weak, making it susceptible to splitting in half. “It did a pretty good job of hanging in there all these years,” said Bilodeau.
Sean Bilodeau (left) and Brian O’Keefe of Acorn Tree & Landscaping spread loam around the newly planted Colorado spruce Bakeri on the Common, Sept. 22. A day earlier the old, dying conifer was taken down. The old Christmas tree’s stump provides evidence of its age. Each ring represents one year of growth. The Press estimates the tree was “born” around 1923. It was planted in 1939 after the hurricane of ’38 destroyed the previous Christmas tree. The late 1930s, the early 1950s, and the early 1970s were unusually wet years according to the state’s precipitation database, so those years would have resulted in larger growth rings, as seen in the photo.
(Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Donors make it possible
Ferguson agreed that the old tree wasn’t healthy, and he supported the decision to replace it. He said an anonymous donor paid for the new tree as well as for part of the removal of the old tree. The town hired Acorn Tree to find a specimen, and the new 13-foot Colorado blue spruce Bakeri was delivered from a tree farm in Hillsdale, New York. Bilodeau said that the Bakeri variety was chosen because it grows slowly to a maximum of about 40 feet. He added that the tree will have a compact upright form that, when combined with its relatively low height, will make it easy to string lights each year. As for the lights, Bilodeau said the old lights were beyond repair and had to be thrown away. He and Ferguson agreed that the old lights were too big and created too much heat, and both recommended smaller LED lights for the new tree so the buds won’t be damaged.
Workers from Acorn Tree take down the trunk of the old tree. (Courtesy photo)
Acorn donated the planting of the new tree, and Bilodeau said his workers brought in four yards of new composted soil to replace the sandy clay soil on the site. Support cables were put on the tree after a windy installation day made Bilodeau nervous about its ability to stand on its own, despite a root ball that weighed about 4,000 pounds. The cables will stay in place for two years, Bilodeau said. In addition, Acorn will help to keep the tree watered into November. Ferguson said that one reason he hired Acorn is that Sean and Christian Bilodeau both live in town, and “they’ll be keeping an eye on the tree.”
Ferguson said he’s received a lot of compliments about the new tree from residents. He added that he understands that people are sentimental about the old tree, but the intention was to plant a tree that will serve the town well for generations to come.
