This northwest corner of Cummings Park saw some drastic changes with the removal of several ash trees and buckthorn, as seen in the photo above from Feb. ‘24. Some residents expressed concerns about what would be done to fill in the new bare areas. Unfortunately, as you can see in the photo below from June ’24, it has filled in with a number of invasive species such as burdock and garlic mustard.

This area COULD be restored with native vegetation, but that is not likely to happen unless we can find a crew of volunteers willing to tackle the problem (short-term) and monitor/maintain the area (long-term).

UPDATE (7-1-25): We were fortunate to partner with Boston Scientific to tackle some of the burdock on the west side of the park. Twenty volunteers came out in the heat and rain over the course of three days to dig the mature burdock that was getting ready to bloom. We are also working to remove the remaining buckthorn. We are hoping that--later this month--we can get permission to plant native vegetation. If so, it will be a slow process and community involvement would be helpful. Please contact us if you're interested in joining our team!

UPDATE (8-27-25): We have permission to plant! Here is the plan that was approved by Public Works: Planting Plan. Though it's possible for us to get this project started with a one-person team, it would have better long-term success with a larger team. Please contact us if you're interested in helping.