Our Mission and Vision

Our mission is to support the planting and proper maintenance of appropriate, native and low-maintenance trees for Marblehead’s streets and public lands, working in coordination with town departments, other community organizations and individual residents. Town trees, shrubs and green spaces provide beauty and shade while reducing heat loads, carbon, air pollution and storm runoff.

Urban Forestry For Marblehead

Urban forestry is not just about trees. It’s finding the right tree, shrub or plant of the right size and then planting it in the right place. While trees are important, shrubs, bushes, floral and edible gardens and undergrowth all play a vital role in preserving our environment. To learn more about urban forestry, click here. Watch a video of our team in action at a recent, collaborative project at Chandler Hovey Park (credit: James Maroney, Marblehead TV).

How to Plant a Tree

While planting and maintaining trees on our town’s public lands are important, much can be done by individual property owners to improve our urban forestry ecosystem. Click here to read an article about planting trees.

UMass Amherst’s tree planting guide is an excellent resource. Scroll down to its “Tree Planting 101” for the 10 steps to properly plant a tree, including finding the trunk flare, determining the size of the hole, watering and mulching.

What is a Town Tree?

Marblehead’s Tree Department is responsible for the planting, care and maintenance of approximately 9,000 shade trees on 72 miles of public ways, as well as in parks and on other public grounds such as Abbot Hall and Abbot Public Library.

Go to the Tree Department website to confirm tree ownership depending on the location of the tree on your property. You can also request that a tree be planted along the road in front of your house, ask for town trees to be trimmed or report a problem. Jonathan Fobert is our Tree Warden.

Gas Leaks Kill Trees

Gas Leaks from aging buried gas lines, some dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s, kill or stress our trees by suffocating their roots. If you have a stressed tree near a gas line, contact National Grid and the town about possible undetected leaks. More information is available here. The most recent map of Marblehead’s gas leaks can be found here.

Tree Inventory & Survey

We are pleased to say we have completed the Town Tree Inventory as of 2026! Thanks to the many volunteers who made this possible.

How to Support MHD Trees

Manage Your Own Trees
Manage Neighborhood Trees
Donate Funds for New Trees
Support More Plantings through Rec & Park and Marblehead Housing Authority
Volunteer With Sustainable Marblehead

Learn more at

https://www.sustainablemarblehead.org/establish-more-trees

Click here to see our Abbot Hall Tree Walk Map.

Join Us

Meet time: Third Monday of most months, 7 - 8 p.m. via Zoom
Leader(s): Palma Bickford
Email: pal.bickford@sustainablemarblehead.org
Follow Marblehead Loves Trees on Facebook.