By Emma Bouthillette 

Staff Writer

Nineteen saplings stood by 19 holes in West Kennebunk Saturday morning. Within one hour, 10 volunteers had planted five of the trees along Alfred Road and were moving on to the next row on Mill Street, and by the end of the day, all of the trees were securely in place. 

The day of planting trees was thanks to a grant Kennebunk received from the Maine Department of Conservation Maine Forest Service Project Canopy. The grants, funded by the Federal Forest Service, help communities plant trees in public spaces. Project Canopy Coordinator Jan Santerre said Project Canopy distributed 42 grants last year, totaling $250,000. Of those grants, she said 21 were specifically used for planting and maintenance of trees.

 Kennebunk’s $6,315 grant allowed the town to purchase 19 trees from Northern Nurseries of Barrington, N.H., Assistant Town Planner Caroline Segalla said. She said the trees planted included five mountain sugar maples, seven red sunset maples, six white ash and a Cleveland select pear tree.

Wayne Cutting, a member of the tree committee, said the committee selected the West Kennebunk site for planting because of recent sidewalks the town added on Mill Street about a year ago. 

“One thing that was attractive to us is that the town is trying to create a walkable environment,” Santerre said.  

Since the sidewalk construction limited town easement for tree planting, Segalla requested property owners along the road sign an easement so the town maintains ownership of the trees for the life of the tree, though the trees are planted on private property. 

A number of area residents who agreed to allow the town to plant on their property, including Bruce Libby, who was on hand to help plant five trees on his property.

After a planting demonstration, the 10 volunteers split into smaller groups. Each tree was gently rolled into the hole, the muslin encasing the root system removed, and as Cutting said, “Fill her in.” As they worked to fill the hole back in, Libby used garden hoses from his house to hydrate the newly planted tree. 

The community participation will help match the Project Canopy grant through in-kind services, equal monetary contribution or other donations. 

Contributing to the in-kind match, parks department employees Randy Gartley and Seth Oakes helped in planting the trees, in addition to city employees Segalla and Cutting. Santerre said time spent on the project is equivalent to their wage, and the town determines the value of hours donated by members of the community, usually equivalent to about $18 per volunteered hour. 

While the town has a year to complete the match, on Saturday, the group clocked seven hours offering a good start to match the grant, Segalla said. Cutting said more of the in-kind services will come from the property owners. The tree committee has asked property owners to keep an eye out and notify the town about any abnormalities with the trees, as well as monitor the saplings. 

“We’ve asked people next summer to assist in watering the trees and using light liquid fertilizer,” Cutting said. “A lot of people have a vested interest in the success of these trees.”