08/11/2022
By Edward Brennen
The tree has been in decline for several years, according to Grounds Operations Manager Kevin Block, a certified arborist. After an investment in deep-root fertilization failed to yield results, Block says three independent tree companies examined the sugar maple in recent months and categorized it as “irrecoverable” — with dead limbs posing a safety hazard.
Two new trees will be planted in the spring to replace the sugar maple, Block says.
There are more than 1,300 trees at UMass Lowell, which has again been designated a Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation.
UML is currently working to be certified as an arboretum — a place where trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes — by ArbNet, a nonprofit dedicated to helping create and conserve arboreta around the world.