HomeMy WebLinkAbout1931-07-15-ARB-rpt.pdf July 15, 1931
To The Board of Selectmen
Town of Lexington, Massachusetts
Dear Sirs
In accordance with the vote of the Town Meeting held on October
15, 1930, a committee was appointed to consider and recommend to
the town plans for the location and development of an arboretum in
the Town of Lexington. Having duly met and given the matter its
careful consideration, this committee wishes to submit the follow-
ing preliminary report.
The primary purpose of an arboretum is to serve as a source of
information on woody plants for the general public. It may be de-
fined as a living collection of trees and shrubs, properly labell-
ed and arranged for convenient study. Beyond its purely education-
al function, however, the arboretum is -- by its very nature --
a kind of park area in which landscaping is a prominent feature
In its proper form it will not only provide aesthetic enjoyment,
but also the means for both pleasant and profitable use of leisure.
The popular conception of an arboretum is that of a large tract
of land located near a big city and devoted chiefly to scientific
research Such places as the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain
have a world-wide influence, but they can reach only a comparative-
ly small number of persons There is no reason why cities, villages,
towns and even individual estates should not have smaller arboretums
for local study It has been pointed out that, if every community
had a certain area of park property set aside for the distinct pur-
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pose of plant study, we would have taken an important step in the
advancement of conservation and in obtaining a far more general
appreciation of the value of public parks and reservations Besides
furnishing information about trees and shrubs, providing materials
for plant study in the schools, and enabling the people to become
acquainted with the requirements of the most desirable woody plants
for planting in their particular locality, the local park arboretum
may preserve a portion of typical native scenery for passive recre-
ational purposes.
There is no general principle governing the size of park arbore-
tums A very large variety of trees and shrubs can be grown on a
very few acres, if only one or at the most three of each kind are
used. The creation of a park arboretum does not involve the acqui-
sition of all woody plants that are hardy, but merely as many as
possible of those which will do well in the particular locality
where it is situated -- in order that it may serve as an example of
what can be used to advantage in local plantations . It is desirable
to begin with plants that are native to the region, with the under-
standing that exotic species may be added in the future where space
permits
The location of a park arboretum should be determined by atmos-
pheric conditions, the qualities and conditions of the soil, the
topography of the land and its accessibility to the public It will
be advantageous if the site chosen for this purpose contains some
native forest growth with full-sized trees as well as younger ones
and a varied growth of small trees and shrubs This woodland --
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with plenty of adjacent open space -- will make a good background
for the various plantations and enhance the landscape effects .
If it is considered advisable to locate the arboretum in an
existing park, this can be so planned as not to destroy the nat-
ural beauty of the site by careful study of the proper associa-
tions of trees and shrubs . Wherever possible the plants should be
arranged in irregular groups with at least one specimen so placed
that it will exhibit its natural growth and character They should
be marked with labels that are both permanent and legible but not
so conspicuous as to spoil the general appearance of the planta-
tion Outside of the cost of labels and labelling there would be
no particular additional expense in the maintenance of a park arb-
oretum over and above the general upkeep of the park. Much of the
necessary plant material may be collected in the surrounding region,
and a large number of species of woody plants can be raised from
cuttings or seed in a small nursery in order to lessen the initial
cost of the arboretum's establishment
After considering various possible locations, the committee has
come to the unanimous conclusion that the area of 7. 12 acres,which
lies between Massachusetts Avenue and the right of way of the
Boston and Maine Railroad,known as Tower Park,is the most appropri-
ate place for a park arboretum to be established in the near future
in the Town of Lexington The donor of this park is understood to
be in favor of utilizing the area in this way. Its permanency as
public land that is located amid surroundings congenial with the
proposed use is practically beyond question The variety of its
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soil conditions and topography make it particularly suitable for
the purpose. It contains some forest growth with about 30 different
kinds of trees -- of which 5 are foreign -- and 25 shrub varieties
-- of which 5 are foreign -- (not including the recent landscape
planting) . It is readily accessible from almost every part of the
town. While its proximity to the main highway might be thought by
some persons to expose it to possible depredation, the committee
feels that this slight disadvantage is outweighed by its otherwise
favorable features. Since no other available plot of ground seems
to combine so many advantages as Tower Park for its adaptation to
this purpose, the committee recommends that this portion of exist-
ing town property shall be so dedicated Before proceeding to
draw up plans for its detailed development, they desire further
instructions on the matter from the Board of Selectmen and the
Park Department.
Respectfully submitted,
Chairman
Sub-Committee
Stephen F Hamblin
Mrs William D. Milne
Edward B. Ballard