Ellsworth Recruits Volunteers to Map Every Downtown Tree

When you see someone measuring trees in downtown Ellsworth, Maine this summer, they're not just curious. They're building a living map of every tree in the city's urban core.

The city launched a volunteer tree inventory program this month, inviting residents to help collect data that will guide decades of planting and protection decisions. Armed with measuring tapes and smartphones, volunteers record each tree's species, size, location and health.

"These are assets, too," said Alan Chausse, the city's urban forestry assistant and a University of Maine forestry student. "These trees have value, and so it would probably be good to know what the value is."

The urgency is real. An invasive beetle called the emerald ash borer is creeping closer to Ellsworth, having already reached nearby Bangor and Bar Harbor. The pest has killed millions of ash trees across North America and is considered one of the most serious threats to Maine's forests.

Ellsworth knows it has over 600 ash trees. But the city doesn't know which ones are healthy, which are vulnerable, or how big they've grown. That information could mean the difference between saving trees and losing them.

Community Tree Steward Michael Otzwirk started the inventory last year, cataloging over 100 trees in a few weeks. He also completed a count of 361 trees at the city's nursery in Jordan Homestead Preserve. Now, with weekly volunteer sessions running through mid-August, the effort is expanding across the entire downtown core.

The Ripple Effect

The data volunteers collect will live on a digital map showing every tree's exact location and condition. When city staff need to make decisions about pruning, planting or pest management, they'll have facts instead of guesswork.

The city also installed a purple prism trap along the Ellsworth Riverwalk in May, coated with sticky glue and a chemical lure that attracts emerald ash borers. Chausse checks it monthly. So far, no beetles.

Though the City Council denied a $100,000 request for a comprehensive pest management plan this spring, Ellsworth is finding other ways forward. The volunteer program costs almost nothing but time, yet it creates a foundation for informed forestry decisions for generations.

All city trees within the right-of-way, the strip extending from the center of each road, belong to Ellsworth residents. The inventory helps everyone know what they own and how to protect it.

Volunteer sessions run Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to noon through August 14, with participants bringing water, comfortable shoes, and a willingness to see their city from a new perspective.

When completed, Ellsworth will know exactly what grows above its sidewalks and how to keep those green canopies thriving for decades to come.

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