ELLSWORTH, Maine — Ellsworth will soon add over 150 new trees to its urban landscape, thanks to $193,000 in grants awarded to the Ellsworth Arbor Commission to expand green spaces and increase the city’s climate resilience.
“This is a huge opportunity for the City of Ellsworth,” Mary Blackstone, Arbor Commission Vice Chair and Green Ellsworth Community Liaison said.
The project’s funding includes a $20,000 grant from the Maine Forest Service to develop a comprehensive forest management plan. Additionally, a $173,000 federal grant will support tree planting along High Street, stretching down to the Union River.
“It's the first time, at least in recent history, that so much money has been allocated to trees in Ellsworth, so we're really excited,” Tabatha White, Arbor Commission Chair, said.
Leaders said adding more tree canopy to the urban downtown area of Ellsworth will help it better match the scenic areas of the city.
“Not just for the 4 million people that pass through that corridor on their way to Acadia National Park, but also for the residents who live here day in day out, and travel to work, either in Ellsworth or elsewhere, that they can have a more beautified High Street corridor,” City Manager Charlie Pearce said.
According to Blackstone, the tree plantings will also help mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly during more extreme weather events. “Those storms are harder for man-made infrastructure to manage, so if you plant trees, it helps moderate the extreme flooding that can happen,” she said.
Areas like High Street have a lot of paved surfaces, making it hotter than anywhere else in the city. “Those temperatures are also moderated by the more trees you plant,” she said.
Blackstone also said that adding more green infrastructure will also improve air quality in the area. “There's a lot of people in low-cost housing and folks in workforce housing there. Their lives are going to be improved because we're planting trees,” she said.
The Ellsworth Arbor Commission is seeking volunteers for the first tree planting on November 14 near Goodwill on High Street at 9 a.m. Anyone interested can join the team that morning to help make Ellsworth a little greener.