Lincoln-Hancock Community School Tree Planting May 30, 2026
The Quincy Tree Alliance had close to 30 intrepid “rain or shine” volunteers planting three trees near the playground at Lincoln-Hancock Community School, across from Kincaide Park, in what could be best described as nor’easter weather on Saturday May 30th.
A diverse group made up of QTA members, volunteer arborists and foresters, Ward 3 and 4 city councilors Walter Hubley and Virginia Ryan, neighborhood residents, tree enthusiasts, and local high school students, put a Princeton American Elm and two Eastern Redbuds in the ground.
The QTA would like to thank the Community Preservation Committee for their grant that facilitated the purchase and transportation of the trees, Black Earth Compost, the DNR, Mike Casinelli, and Janet Loftus, principal of the school. Without their help, this would not have been possible.
The occasion was a bit cold and wet for the humans, but a happy one for the trees. The elm tree should become a nice shade tree for the playground in coming years, while the redbuds will bring beautiful spring color, viewable from Water St. and Gordon Terrace.
The QTA asks park and playground visitors to please help take good care of our new trees, and if you would like to become a QTA member and/or volunteer for tree watering this summer, please email quincytreealliance@gmail.com. We also welcome you to visit our website (https://www.quincytreealliance.com) and follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/QuincyTreeAlliance) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/quincytreealliance).
June 25 library talk: Tiny Forests’ Big Benefits
Mini, fast-growing ‘Miyawaki’ forests are being planted in Quincy by residents and the city alike
When Maria Andrews moved back to her childhood home in Quincy Point, her backyard was barren – “all grass and one rhododendron,” she jokes. But two years ago, she planted more than 150 bare-root trees, shrubs, and ground cover plants on her property in an effort to create a tiny, crowded oasis known as a Miyawaki forest.
“It’s completely different now. Most trees have doubled in size, and the birch have outdone themselves – I have a birch almost to my second story,” she says. “And the wildlife I see is amazing. I saw hummingbirds last year for the first time.”
Mini forests offer a huge “ecological bang for your buck,” agrees city tree warden Dan Cathcart, who is planning to install one near the Quincy Adams T station this fall. The competition for sunlight makes the densely planted trees grow three to four times as fast as trees planted on their own. “You get all the same ecological services, from heat relief to contaminant filtration, but it comes faster,” says Cathcart. “The collective benefit of the individual trees is far less than the benefit of a forest.”
Andrews and Cathcart will discuss Miyawaki forests at the main library (40 Washington Street) on Tuesday, June 25, at 7 pm. The free talk is co-hosted by the Thomas Crane Public Library and the Quincy Tree Alliance, a volunteer organization dedicated to protecting and expanding the city’s tree canopy. For more information, visit thomascranelibrary.org/events-calendar and quincytreealliance.com.
This Miyawaki forest was planted in Cambridge’s Danehy Park
Maria Andrews is a lifelong resident of Quincy. She volunteers at Quincy Animal Shelter and is a member of Quincy's Invasive Species Management Committee. Maria is an animal advocate and nature lover who spends most of her time hiking in the woods with her dog, Sophia.
Dan Cathcart is the city’s tree warden. He won a federal grant for $750,000 to plant trees in environmental justice areas in Quincy and hopes to use about $300,000 of that to plant the City’s first mini “Miyawaki” forest near Quincy Adams T station.