Swarthmore Tree Committee member David Page explains the many ways the committee can help residents.
12 New Trees Grow in Swarthmore
On a recent sunny Saturday morning, crabapple, Sargent cherry, and Kentucky coffee trees found new homes as street trees in Swarthmore. Members of the borough’s tree committee and community volunteers planted 12 new bare-root trees on Yale Avenue, Haverford Place, Union Avenue, Bowdoin Avenue, and Brighton Avenue. The November 21 planting was the culmination of months of advocacy and logistical maneuvering by committee members. Swarthmore Borough Council funded the project.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Swarthmore Trees
Not sure what species that tree by the curb is? Wondering how many pounds of pollutants the oak on the corner absorbs? Now you can find out. The Swarthmore Street Tree Survey, which compiles information on all the street trees and public-park trees within the borough, is now complete. Collected by the Davey Resource Group, the data, together with a software program called TreeKeeper, will allow better planning, planting, and care of our tree canopy.
Taming the Wild Crum
A couple of Fridays ago, my daughter Charlie and I took a daring paddle on the terrifying and legendary Crum Creek — a harrowing 45-minute effort. We put in right above the Strath Haven Coulee Dam off Yale Avenue and fought the swift current back upstream. Multitudes of turtles guarded the banks, and shadowy fish darted fearlessly in the shallows. Past snags and sieves we maneuvered, watching each other’s six, conscious of many reports of the attack beaver waiting to ambush intruders.
Invasion of the Spotted Lanternfly
It sounds like the title of this summer’s blockbuster movie, but it’s not. It’s reality TV, and whether or not you have seen them in your yard or garden, you can be almost certain they are lurking there. They are an invasive insect called the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delacatula) – SLF for short. They’re currently morphing through one of several nymph stages. Very soon there will be thousands of adult lanternflies in our community. They attack trees, vines, and shrubs, and there isn’t much we can do about it.
Tree Survey to Begin
After several unsuccessful attempts at starting, including a delay caused by COVID-19-related restrictions, the Swarthmore Street Tree Survey is about to get under way. A small team of certified arborists will travel throughout town, pinpointing the exact location of each street tree, along with the species, size, and general condition of approximately 4,000 trees. The physical survey should take about two weeks.