Trees Rescued, Replanted During Steamline Replacement

During the months of August and September, contractors are replacing the underground steamlines between Fayerweather and Foss 10. This process requires significant excavation, and unfortunately, two trees stood in the path of destruction.

“These are perfectly healthy trees,” said Dave Hall, ground and events manager. “We couldn’t just let them die.”

On Aug. 6, Hall hired a tree specialist to remove the two trees from Foss Hill and relocate them to the Center for the Arts courtyard. The contractor used a mechanical tree spade to pierce the earth and extract the trees and their root-balls, which measure about 6-feet-wide and 5-feet-deep.

Crews transplanted a 20-year-old maple to a grassy area between the Davison Health Center and Davison Art Center. A 15-to-20 year-old copper beech found a new home near World Music Hall.

“This beech is going to turn bright red in the fall. It’s going to be very pretty,” Hall said. “You’d never know it wasn’t growing here for years.”

Another rescued birch, acquired from an earlier job near the CFA’s Rehearsal Hall, also was transplanted near the Music Studios and South Studio.

Planting aftercare includes a daily water dousing.

The new underground piping will exit the south east corner of Foss 10 and travel to the northwest corner of the west section of parking lot E (adjoining Fayerweather). From there, it will travel around the perimeter of the parking lot and terminate at an existing manhole just behind Fayerweather.

The parking lot will remain open during construction and travel along Wyllys Avenue and Mt. Vernon Street will not be restricted. A construction fence will separate the work area from the parking lot.

During the first three weeks of construction, the sidewalks on the south end of Foss 10 (from Van Vleck Observatory to Wyllys) will be closed. Work will begin at Foss 10 and progress to Fayerweather.