Lordship Improvement Association and Town Collaborate on Tree Locations and Native Varieties
By John Florian
More trees are coming in the town-wide program, with fall being best time to plant.
In a grand stroke evoking the historic vision of Lordship’s founders, the Town of Stratford this week replenished Lordship’s treasured esplanades with nearly two dozen native trees – filling gaps between older gems to recreate the straight majestic sightlines of trees down the esplanades to Long Island Sound.
These esplanades straddle the middle of Washington Parkway, Lordship Road, Victoria Lawn and Margherita Lawn.
“In Lordship, we’re fortunate to have plenty of open planting space for large native shade trees along the majority of the esplanades,” explains Kelly Kerrigan, Stratford’s Environmental Conservation Superintendent – who is spearheading the program to “provide fair planting opportunities across the entire town.”
Kerrigan partnered with the Lordship Improvement Association (LIA) to develop the area’s tree restoration program, collaborating on tree location and variety.
“This positive partnership with Kelly and the town benefits our community,” notes the LIA. “Shared values of safeguarding and enhancing our environment and the beauty of our land truly improves our neighborhood.”
Earlier this year, the LIA actually kicked off tree restorations with the purchase of six red maples that were planted by the town on Washington Parkway and Victoria Lawn (see more). Nearby residents took on the responsibility of watering the young trees.
This week, according to plan, the Tree Crew efficiently moved down each esplanade to flagged locations with a flatbed truck carrying trees, a Bobcat backhoe to dig holes, and a companion truck for collecting fill, rocks and old roots from the digging.
A heavy cable from the backhoe eased each young tree from the flatbed into the hole. String securing burlap to the root ball was cut, and the top portion of the burlap was peeled back and pushed into the hole. Edges of the hole were refilled, and the area raked smooth.
Job done. On to the next flag.
The town’s Public Works crew will water the new trees, but Kerrigan “will greatly appreciate any additional watering (from residents), especially through the current drought period.”
Yet don’t go wild with mulch.
“If you’re mulching trees, less is more!” Kerrigan advises. This UConn Extension video on how NOT to plant and mulch a tree shows why.
WHERE THE NEW TREES ARE
Here is the location and type of the 21 new trees, in a list provided by Kerrigan. The number at left of each line is the nearest house number of each tree’s location.
- 54 Washington Parkway, Quercus palustris, 1 Pin oak
- 85 Washington Parkway, Nyssa sylvatica, 1 Tupelo
- 182 Washington Parkway, Plantanus occidentalis, 1 Sycamore
- 260 Washington Parkway, Quercus rubra, 1 Red oak
- 410 Washington Parkway, Acer saccharinum, 1 Silver maple
- 58 Lordship Road, Crataegus c. inermis, 1 Hawthorn
- 79 Lordship Road, Crataegus c. inermis, 1 Hawthorn
- 154 Lordship Road, Amelanchier laevis, 1 Serviceberry
- 295 Lordship Road, Carya cordiforms, 1 Bitternut hickory
- 306 Lordship Road, Quercus velutina, 1 Black oak
- 346 Lordship Road, Nyssa sylvatica, 1 Tupelo
- 46/58 Victoria Lawn, Quercus coccinea, 2 Scarlet oak
- 110 Victoria Lawn, Nyssa sylvatica, 1 Tupelo
- 134 Victoria Lawn, Quercus velutina, 1 Black oak
- 187 Victoria Lawn, Quercus alba, 1 White oak
- 30 Margherita Lawn, Quercus coccinea, 2 Scarlet oak
- 98 Margherita Lawn, Nyssa sylvatica, 1 Tupelo
- 168 Margherita Lawn, Quercus rubra, 1 Red oak
- 196 Margherita Lawn, Celtis occidentalis, 1 Hackberry
Note: Smaller tree species were chosen for areas with overhead utilities, to avoid a future conflict.
BUT FIRST: TREE REMOVALS
Before the current planting of new trees, though, a number of damaged and diseased old ones had to come down.
“The Town of Stratford conducted inspections on all trees on each of the Lordship esplanades following the request from a former councilman,” Kerrigan explains.
“Understanding that these trees are culturally significant, in addition to all of the important natural resources services they provide, I reviewed my inspection alongside a fellow Connecticut-licensed arborist to ensure we were making sound science-based decisions.
“One hundred and one trees were inspected on the esplanades,” she says, “and 23 were ultimately removed. Trees were removed based on the identification of one or more serious defects that posed a risk to public safety.
“Healthy trees were pruned as needed, and remain.”
Also deemed unsafe and removed was a non-native Norway maple at Greg Ackley Memorial Park, following its loss of a large limb in 2023.
And the Connecticut State Department of Transportation removed trees within its right-of-way at the rotary junction of Prospect Drive and Oak Bluffs Avenue (Rt. 113).
MORE TREES ARE COMING
And the town’s program continues.
“We intend to follow up (in Lordship) with additional plantings in the coming years,” Kerrigan says, “aiming to slowly plant out the esplanades to encourage diversity in age class.”
Local homeowners can have a say in this, too, by requesting tree plantings in the town’s right-of-way in front of their properties, or other town-owned properties. Call Stratford Public Works (203-385-4006) to make a tree planting request.
Kerrigan says “We aim to conduct a fall planting each year, with 50 to 70 trees planted throughout the town.”​
Also currently underway is a town-wide canopy assessment, tree inventory and urban forest management plan.
“I encourage folks to check out our website (www.stratfordct.gov/page/trees) for more information,” Kerrigan says, “especially as the need for public input arises on our urban forest management plan.”
More than half of Stratford has already been inventoried by contracted arborists in this review. Data collected, along with future public input opportunities, will be considered for the urban forest management plan.
Meanwhile, enjoy the enhanced tree-lined beauty of the Lordship esplanades!
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