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HOW TO GET A SETBACK TREE

If you live, own property, or maintain a business in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, or the areas of Roslindale and Hyde Park shown in these maps and are interested in having a tree planted on your property, please read the eligibility criteria below.

In order to get a setback tree for your yard, you must meet the following criteria:

1. Permission from the property owner. If you are a tenant, we can plant a tree in your yard only with the consent of your landlord or property manager.

2. Plantable space. Mature trees can thrive with a minimum of 30 feet of headroom without obstruction from wires, roof overhangs, or other obstacles. We are focusing our efforts on space within 20’ of a public road or sidewalk where the tree will benefit the community while still being on private property.

3. A responsibility agreement. Caring for a tree requires commitment, especially during the first two summers when weekly or biweekly watering is essential. Mulching around the tree is also critical. However, neither of these maintenance requirements are time consuming, and EarthWorks will provide a simple owner’s manual for a newly planted tree with tree-care instructions.

REQUEST A SETBACK TREE

If you qualify, please print and fill out this Setback Tree Request Form and return it to Earthworks. You may send it as an email attachment to gretchen@earthworksboston.org or via postal mail to Gretchen Folk, Earthworks, 34 Linwood St., Roxbury, MA, 02119. We look forward to working with you on this exciting project and are available to answer questions or talk about concerns; please call 617-442-1059 and ask for Gretchen Folk.

If you are interested in receiving a tree, but you do not live in one of the qualifying neighborhoods, please visit the City of Boston's Grow Boston Greener program website for more information about how to get a tree for your yard.