Tree Website etc.
Tree website by Daniela Caride and Cathy Moritz. It’s informative and beautiful! https://LincolnTreeTour.lincolngardenclub.org
Here is some background about the Catalpa Project for LGC members who may not be familiar with this effort.
TWISTED CATALPA PROJECT
In a joint project with the Friends of the Lincoln Library, the Lincoln Garden Club is working to preserve the old twisted Northern Catalpa on the Library grounds and to grow a twisting clone of the tree to add to the grounds in anticipation of losing the parent tree in the next few decades. Catalpas typically live about 60-70 years, and our Library tree is ~120 years old. Its trunk and limbs are hollow so it is vulnerable to wind damage. A link to a 6-minute video describing the preservation work we funded on the existing tree in Dec 2019 is given below.
In July 2019, the Arnold Arboretum took cuttings of the tree and cared them in their greenhouses until they were firmly rooted. 29 viable clone saplings were transferred to a tree nursery at Bransfield Tree Company in May 2021. Jonathan Bransfield, a professional arborist, volunteered to care for the trees for 10 years – the time it may take to know if any of them twists. Jonathan also plans to experiment with the saplings using bonsai techniques to encourage some of them to twist. If we are successful in growing a twisted clone, it will be planted on the Library grounds as a companion to its parent tree or a replacement if we lose Lincoln’s beloved tree.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z4M4NYZnJA
Earlier Catalpa Tree news with youtube video link:
The YouTube link below takes you to a newly produced short video of the preservation project. It was filmed and edited by a professional videographer hired by Jonathan Bransfield.
The information about the tree and close ups of the project are fascinating, and the aerial footage of the project, tree, and library grounds are lovely. The LGC invested a considerable sum in this project ($2,550). I highly recommend clicking on this link or pasting it into your browser to take a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z4M4NYZnJA (The video starts after the ads – you can click on “Skip Ad” when it appears on your screen to go to the video.)
10-25-21
On Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1:30 the Garden Club presented a Zoom meeting with a presentation by Sean Halloran from the Arnold Arboretum. His talk, Lincoln’s Twisted Catalpa Tree: A Scientific Perspective, discuses the propagation and protection of Lincoln’s Twisted Catalpa.
If you missed the talk on Sunday, it was recorded. Please go to the Members’ Newsletter page for the link to view it. https://www.lincolngardenclub.org/members/newsletter-2020-2021/
More Lincoln Tree Projects
From Denise:
Ken Bassett sends an update on Baker Bridge Road trees planted with money given by the Lincoln Garden Club.
To date the Garden Club has been generous with a total of $7500 deposited into a gift account. I have focused those resources on planting of Nyssa sylvaticas (Black Tupelo) on the south side of Baker Bridge Road along the field edge. To date there have been 9 trees planted, some of which have done very well while others are struggling due to the drought. These trees represent the next generation of trees as the existing maples continue to decline. The Nyssa form and planting location will hopefully avoid the overhead wires and thus the terrible pruning disfiguration that is a product of the power company.
These trees are purchased at wholesale prices and average around $400 at Cavicchios. Planting cost varies in that some are planted by the Town while others are planted by Bransfield. On average I estimate that cost at $200 for a total of $600 per tree. Based on 7 planted and 2 more soon to be planted the expenditure to date is estimated to be $5400. I project that several trees may not survive due to the drought and I also see a near term opportunity to add several more trees, thus utilizing most of the remaining funds by next spring.
KB
