06/01/2026
🌳46 new trees are being planted throughout Needham in locations identified as “hotspots” along the Town’s Safe Routes to Schools sidewalks.
The new trees are part of the $92,000 Cooling Corridors Grant awarded to the Town from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) in October 2025. The new trees will help reduce the impacts of extreme heat, provide shade for pedestrians, and expand Needham’s tree canopy.
Needham follows the EEA’s standard for planting “the right tree in the right place”. This means selecting trees based on consideration of the tree’s size and branching at maturity and selecting a variety of tree species for planting that are well suited for New England’s changing climate and corresponding challenges like droughts, floods, and invasive pests and diseases.
You’ll find the new trees in the Town-owned berms on Lincoln Street, Kimball Street, Great Plain Avenue, Eaton Road, Stevens Road, and Webster Street. The Town’s contractor will water the trees for one year and, as they are public shade trees, the Town will be responsible for all tree care and maintenance.
➡Residents are asked to please not remove the wooden posts and water bags on these new trees. The posts help to ensure the trees are protected from wind events and the watering bags are critical for efficient watering operations. Both are also a requirement of the grant program and arborist best practices.
Learn more about the Town’s Cooling Corridors Program on the Town’s website: www.needhamma.gov/needhamtrees
