Cambridge’s Growing Urban Forest

Cambridge takes pride in its trees. They help keep the City cooler and cleaner, make our neighborhoods more inviting, and provide important habitat for wildlife.

Each year, the City’s Urban Forestry team plants more than 1,000 trees and prunes about 3,600, caring for roughly 24,000 trees citywide. This includes about 15,500 street trees and 8,500 trees in parks and other open spaces, representing more than 150 different species.

Last year, the City also planted 100 new trees at Danehy Park through the Participatory Budgeting process, helping replace trees lost during recent drought conditions.

Pruning is best left to trained arborists. Urban Forestry prunes every City tree on a regular cycle. If your street tree needs pruning outside of this schedule, submit a SeeClickFix request at www.cambridgema.gov/seeclickfix

Urban Forest Master Plan – 5-Year Update

In 2019, Cambridge released the Urban Forest Master Plan, followed by the Healthy Forest, Healthy City report in 2020. These reports set the stage for growing and caring for the City’s trees, covering policy, planting practices, design, and community engagement.

In 2024, Cambridge reached an exciting milestone: trees now shade 30% of the City! This goal focuses on expanding tree cover in public areas to create “cool corridors” that help reduce heat in the neighborhoods that feel it most.

The Urban Forest Master Plan guides how we plant, protect, and care for trees. Five years later, the City is updating the plan with new strategies to ensure our urban forest thrives for generations. The update has three phases—planning and analysis, recommendations, and documentation. We are finishing the recommendations phase and plan to hold a second public meeting in late spring.

Want to grow the tree canopy in your own yard? Green Cambridge can plant a free tree at your home to help expand our urban forest. Learn more and sign up at www.greencambridge.org/canopycrew

New trees need extra care to grow strong and healthy, and you can help! Pick a street tree near your home, business, or school and help keep it healthy by watering and tending to the tree well. Learn more, sign up to volunteer using the new interactive map, and receive the monthly Forest Friends newsletter at www.cambridgema.gov/forestfriends.

Miyawaki Forests

Cambridge is home to three Miyawaki forests—dense, fast-growing mini-forests made up of native trees and shrubs.

• At Danehy Park, maintenance work improved species diversity to help the forest thrive.
• The Green-Rose Heritage Park forest continues to flourish this year.
• The newest forest, planted in 2025 at Peabody Elementary School, covers about 2,000 square feet and includes more than 40 native tree and shrub species. As it enters its first full growing season, we’re excited to watch it provide shade, habitat, and green space for students and the surrounding community.

How Cambridge Keeps Track of Its Trees

Have you ever wondered how the City keeps track of tens of thousands of trees across Cambridge?

Each City tree has its own record with important details like its species, size, condition, and location. We also track the work each tree needs such as inspections, pruning, watering, pest or disease treatment, and, when needed, removal and replanting.

All of this information is stored in the City’s tree management system, which is connected to a digital map. This allows staff to see exactly where every tree is and what work is needed. The system also connects to SeeClickFix, so when a resident submits a tree-related request, it goes directly to the right Urban Forestry staff.

Together, these tools help the City monitor tree health, respond to requests, and care for Cambridge’s growing urban forest more efficiently.

Explore Some of our City Staff’s Favorite Trees!