Tree clean-up crews roll into city
Hard-fought-for FEMA cash won’t cover re-planting

By Chris Young
MethuenLife Writer

Three months after last December’s devastating ice storm, more than $300,000 in federal money is helping clean up woody debris across Methuen.
Every section of the city lost ancient oaks, ash and pines as well as young Bradford pears and cherry trees. The city's parks and backyards looked like a war zone after the storm.
But it's been a very snowy winter and it wasn't until the snow finally melted in mid-March that homeowners were hit with the full realization of the disaster: In a matter of hours, the Dec. 11 ice storm transformed Methuen into a FEMA-designated disaster area.
One bright spot in this winter devastation is that the city was eligible for federal disaster money which covered the cost of clearing and disposing of the woody debris and tree-trimming of healthy trees. In fact, Methuen might make some money selling off the chips for fuel.
But parts of the city will look bare this spring when trees normally leaf out. Given the country's financial state, there is no assurance the felled trees will be replanted. The FEMA money — $303,145 — is for cleanup, storm damage and tree trimming.
"All bets are on hold until we see what the state is going to do," said Mayor William Manzi about tree replacement. "We are waiting to see if the state can fix its own financial problems before we know if we get new revenues. It's impossible to determine a real budget until then. And we don't know the impact of federal stimulus money yet."
In the meantime, the city hired tree companies with chippers to clear tree limbs and branches that residents place on the curbs. The chips are taken to the city’s Transfer Station from where they will be sold for fuel for heating and power plants, according to Department of Public Works Director Raymond DiFiore.
The trucks will be in each neighborhood only once. They won't return to the neighborhood for missed pickup. Curb-side pickup starts April 6.
"The problem is getting all of it to the curb. The city will eventually get to all the debris if you can get it to there," said homeowner Ann Gross, whose Davis Street neighborhood lost many of its huge pine trees. "It's piled up on a corner of my lawn and the grass will be ruined if I don't get it off."
Linda Yuele, president of Methuen Garden Club, said the trunk of a tall pine that came down on her property during the storm is too heavy to carry to the curb.
"But at least we will be able to drag a ton of branches out for the pick-up," she said.
Dick Wilson of Judith E. Lane said he was awakened at 2:15 a.m. on the night of the storm when a big limb came down onto the roof above his bedroom.
"There wasn't a place 4-foot-square in my woodland garden that didn't have a limb down," he said. "The ice destroyed virtually every tree. I've never seen such a mess. The tree company hauled away eight truck-loads and left me another eight truck-loads to burn."
Electric power was cut off or four days in parts of town. Gross had a gas stove, plenty of hot water and fireplace, but that was more comfort than some of her neighbors had. She played host to others who weren't so lucky.
"We lived like pioneers for a few days but it made you appreciate the ease of your normal life," she said.
DPW chief DiFiore said it was risky to be out on the night of the storm. A big oak in his neighborhood came down on a car. Luckily, the car was empty at the time. After the storm, Forest Lake and Grey Court looked like a bomb went off, he said. And there were damaged trees on streets and in people's yards all over town.
Methuen landscape designer Derick Garon said this storm was indiscriminate in what it destroyed: "Beech, birch, maple — all of the hardwoods — usually withstand ice storms, unlike conifers like pine which tend to snap in an ice storm. But this storm took down all kinds of trees. It was brutal."
Methuen and Haverhill, which were inside the freeze line, were hit harder than other Essex County cities and towns, said Manzi.
"Essex County did not meet the threshold of damage needed to receive FEMA assistance," the mayor said. "So we appealed to Congressman Niki Tsongas for help. She worked on the government departments and FEMA came back and took a look."
After three days inspecting Methuen's damage, the federal disaster relief agency declared Methuen a disaster area and allocated the money for cleanup of the parks and city streets.
"Trees are an important part of the urban landscape," the mayor said. "It's my feeling that residents appreciate trees and want us to replace the damaged ones. But we got hit pretty hard and, although we allocate a certain amount to replace trees, we won't know how much we will have for trees this year until we hear from the state."

Garden notes

Plant a row for others
Last month, First Lady Michelle Obama turned at spade of dirt in her new backyard, creating her first-ever vegetable garden.
She said she wanted to have fresh vegetables for the White House and also to teach her children about healthy, locally grown vegetables.
Instantly, the director of Garden Writers of America (of which I am a member) e-mailed all members asking us to use this opportunity to introduce an idea that GWA introduced some 10 years ago as a public service project.
It's called Plant a Row for the Hungry, which encourages gardeners to plant an extra row in their vegetable garden with the intention of donating the produce to a soup kitchen or a food pantry. You can learn more about this on the Garden Writers Web page, www.gardenwriters.org.

Arbor Day events
Andover: April 25, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In front of Old Town Hall on Main Street, there will be a tree sale and activities for the kids. Starting at 9:30 at Memorial Hall Library, the discussion topic is “How to chose and plant a tree.” Sponsored by the Andover League of Women Voters. Free.
Tower Hill Botanical Garden, Boylston: Arbor Day Weekend, April 24 to 26, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tree planting and tours. First 25 on each day receive a free sapling. Activities for children. On Friday and Sunday at 1 p.m., lecture and pruning demonstration. For admission and directions, go to www.Towerhillbg.org.

Chris Young is a free-lance writer who loves trees and likes to garden. Write her, with comments or ideas, at chriswords@verizon.net.

Tree trimmers Tom Sorel (left) and Dave Hamlin, of Asplundh Tree Expert Co., gear up for their first day of work in Methuen. Contracted by National Grid, the men said they have been working nonstop since December’s ice storm. They had just finished a Lowell clean-up and expected to be in Methuen for a month. Photos by Melissa Fili.