Trash, landscaping and the path

 A few years ago, I spoke with Stephan, a botanist  who has spent over 25 years volunteering his time for the planning and maintenance of Arlington's Minuteman Bikeway.

Do you think the planned landscaping will succeed?

As someone involved for over 2 decades in forest conservation work, I was very concerned about Belmont's plans to remove ALL of the mature trees growing along the embankment that is part of the ~1 mile land strip known as 101A (BCF) and how that removal of front line trees and construction would affect the trees growing in our private properties.   Knowing that disturbed soil is an invitation to invasive plants, I was concerned also about how construction would spread and enhance the growth of the more harmful invasives already growing there such as Japanese knotweed which would quickly engulf any new plantings.  

Hence, my first question to Stephan was what he, as a botanist, thought of Belmont's plans for landscaping the "Community Path". His immediate answer was "Won't work".  As I feared: soil disturbance would promote the rapid spread and growth of invasive plants that would quickly overpower the new weaker plantings.   It was because of that - he told me - that Japanese knotweed reigned from one end to the other of the Arlington Bikeway. 


The knotweed grows rampant and management consists of annually knocking it back to stop it from blocking the bikeway.  Unfortunately, the knotweed damages asphalt and concrete that must be repaired regularly.

 

 

 

Is trash a problem in the bikeway?

Yes, it is. Stephan mentioned that a serious problem was trash.  The closer the bikeway was to commercial centers, the more trash he found.  He added that he had inspected the bikeway recently and that he had been dismayed by the large amount of trash he had seen.  Stephan explained that the state did not pick up trash so  he organized volunteers to collect the trash once or twice annually.

(A fellow abutter has been reporting a serious trash problem at the Fitchburg Cutoff Trail.)

Are abutters expected to be park janitors?

In the planned park/path here in Belmont, trash has been a concern of mine due to Joey's Park's rat problem and I have raised the issue with the CPPC throughout the years.  Recently, I attended a CPPC site visit to the Belmont train station (they agreed on cutting down all 13-14 trees there) and had the opportunity to ask DPW Chief Marcotte whether there would be trash cans in the park.  His answer was an emphatic NO, there would be NO trash cans in the park.  I asked : "Does the town expect abutters to be the park's janitors?!" He replied, as he walked away: "Good point."


 

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