HOULTON, Maine — New trees will soon be planted in Houlton’s Historic Downtown.
Jane Torres, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Houlton Town Council, said Monday that plans were underway to begin planting 25 Linden trees and Japanese Tree lilacs starting Monday, May 18, 2015.
“Two years ago the town was the recipient of a ‘Canopy Grant,’ which consists of an $8,000 gift matched by $8,000 in town funds or ‘in-kind’ services,” Torres said. “These services can include anything from cutting the trees down to helping to prepare the holes for the new trees to be planted. It was decided that the green ash trees would be replaced with Linden trees and Japanese Tree Lilacs (which are actual trees, not the shrubs you see in everyone’s back yard.)”
Twenty-five trees will be planted leaving every other space for the downtown store owners or different civic organizations to place plant pots. Two extra trees have been ordered as a precautionary measure just in case there is an unforeseen problem with any of the stock, Torres added.
“It seems like it has been a long time since the committee was formed to replace the diseased and distressed trees in Market Square but, at long last the end of the project is in sight,” she said.
On the 18th of May a group of volunteers and the town of Houlton Public Works Department will block off the North side of upper Main Street and the work will begin. The committee has set a goal of three days for the placement and planting, but if additional days are necessary then they will make it happen.
The trees were purchased from a local nursery owned by Russell Fitzpatrick and will be arriving this week. Each tree is 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 feet tall.
Impact to the downtown traffic flow will be minimal, Torres said.
