Launching the Invasive Cork Tree Management Project

Friends of Cold Spring Park, in collaboration with Newton Conservators and the City of Newton Urban Forestry Division, will soon be removing invasive Amur cork trees from the park. These trees present the greatest threat to the integrity of the park ecosystem, especially in the wetlands.

The Conservation Commission and state Department of Environmental Protection have approved our plan to chemically treat and remove the trees. Fortunately, most of them are still small, so this is our best chance to avoid a tipping point where they could grow from less than five percent of the canopy today to as much as one-third or more in only a few decades.

The city’s forestry contractor will remove large trees near the Cold Spring Loop trail and perimeter of the park. The loop trail will have to be closed for up to a week in July to accommodate this work safely.