The small town of Sturbridge, Massachusetts is rebuilding part of its Burgess Elementary school. And about time, too: the school is in rough shape, with too many walls made out of cardboard that seemed like great ideas at the time, and with far more students than its real walls can feasibly hold. The school will be extended out into a lot that used to be a play area at recess. Great, right? Everybody's happy.

But there are a lot of issues that go with the idea of reconstruction - a lot of things that most people don't think of right away. If the school is rebuilt, what will become of its trees? Numerous trees have been planted around Burgess Elementary, many of them as dedications or memorials. The trees give the school a sort of delightful charm, in addition to stamping into place the significance of a green, healthy world from a young age. These trees have been growing up along with the children. What is their fate in this new plan?

Many of them are in the way. The easiest solution would be to tear them down and replace them altogether.

I don't need to say what a disservice and disrespect that is to the trees themselves. Of course, the reality is, trees are taken down all the time, for considerably more selfish reasons. If it's a choice between the trees and the kids, of course the kids come first.

Luckily, most of these trees are salvageable. And I was able to witness the bare beginnings of the process of saving them.

THE PROCESS

Thomas Chamberland is the Tree Warden of Sturbridge, MA. It's his job to maintain and prune public trees, remove dead or dangerous trees, and to plant new trees as needed. What he doesn't need to do, but does anyway, is attend all sorts of events, speaking at Arbor Day at the elementary school, planting trees with the students, going on Tree Walks, working with high school students on countless environmental projects, and more. Here is a man who cares.           

And so saving the trees of Burgess Elementary begins with him. The first stage is walking with the landscape architect throughout the grounds of Burgess, identifying all the trees and determining whether they can be saved. The architect carries with him a large map of the school, with every individual tree marked upon it. I tag along, through some unpleasant snowy breezes, and am allowed the privilege of hearing Tom talk.

The first thing worth mentioning is the vast and incalculable diversity of trees: It is so easy to write every tree off as looking precisely the same. Yet Tom is able to identify every tree completely and perfectly with little more than a glance: he can see by the bark, he can see by the way they grow. Even in the white New England winter, as the trees are barren and naked - he doesn't need leaves. And not just a general "This is a coniferous tree" proclamation. No, he knows them to the genus and species, knows where the species originated, knows how rare or common it is. Within the small Burgess grounds there is a diverse town of trees: from the old-timers growing out back to the youths planted only years ago, here and everywhere is a place crawling with history, diversity, where every tree has its own background, its own home, its own identity. Tom sees all of it with just a glance; it is astonishing.

It would be a terrible thing to waste.

The trees are to be relocated - dug up and replanted, most likely beside the new and improved Burgess Elementary. Unfortunately, while Tom tries to be realistic, it is not ultimately his call what trees will be transported: as always, the town is moved by money. We'll have to wait and see how much is feasible, and how much weight his suggestions will have.

PLANT YOUR TREES RIGHT!

Not all of the trees are salvageable. Many of them are just not worth the effort: many of them would die in the process, or soon after - usually because of mistakes made when they were planted or cared for. Here are some common problems I witnessed, and things to watch out for - and to keep in mind.

First of all, trees have to be planted at the right height! I never considered this seriously before; I know when I got my baby tree for Arbor Day as a kid, I happily and carelessly planted it out in the back yard, without any thought to the "right depth." Turns out, planting it the wrong way can stunt the tree's growth for life.

We saw a number of trees that had grown to the same height, trees that had been planted on the same day at the wrong depth. They could not grow to their potential: they were stunted, and unhealthy. There isn't much to do for them - the mistakes had already been made. When planted, the roots should not be totally buried beneath the earth: if the roots are completely submersed then the tree is in too deep, and they may girdle it. Remember: put some thought into that sprout you're planting!

There are more obvious mistakes, too: the types of errors you would hope not to see in a professional environment. Noteworthy again: there was one tree that had been planted too near the pavement of the school. Well, the pavement on the sidewalk is cracked now, due to the invisible roots growing through it beneath. Trees need distance; depending on the type, their roots can really expand beneath us. You would give an iceberg a wide berth, wouldn't you?

One tree had a decorative adornment attached to its branches by a wire. This was another obvious no-no: wires should never be wrapped around trees in any capacity. The tree keeps on growing whether the wire is there or not, and eventually, the tree will grow into it. At which point, the wire cannot be removed without damaging the tree itself.

WORTH SAVING?

A lot of factors play into whether a tree is worth relocating or not - nothing is set in stone. If a tree is dying or in rough shape, there's not much point in saving it. A common danger sign of a dying tree is in root flares. If you can see a tree bulging in a certain place, it is not a good thing: that bulging is a sign of decay and rot growing within it, and eventually, it will grow and split the tree apart.

Another factor that determines whether or not the tree will survive the trip: split trunks. If there are effectively two trees growing out of a single trunk, you can bet it isn't up to transportation: it won't survive. Another surefire sign, of course, is its height. Trees can't be moved if they're too tall, which only makes sense. Luckily, most of the trees directly by Burgess are young still, and fit.

The trees by Burgess, and everywhere, are full of diversity, history, life, and potential. Most of them are healthy enough, young enough, and strong enough to survive transportation. Trees are sturdy friends: if we put in the effort, we can keep them around for a long, long time. The potential is there, and the first step is taken.