In the summer of 2021, the Holyoke Wistariahurst Museum and Department of Conservation and Sustainability teamed up to conduct an Inventory of Holyoke’s Historic Trees. The inventory documented significant trees in Holyoke based on their historical, biological, seasonal and sentimental significance. Now finished, the project has culminated in a new map and interpretive tour of the Holyoke landscape.

The guide encourages users to see the local landscape in a new way, recognizing Holyoke’s fantastic collection of trees. The guide also uncovers living trees’ connections to important moments in Holyoke’s history, and hopes to provide some new insight into the important role trees play in Holyoke.

The project’s primary researcher is Michaela Wright, whose previous experience includes projects with the New York Botanical Garden, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and the American Museum of Natural History.

 

The complete guide can be downloaded here:

Historic Trees of Holyoke - Regular Version

Historic Trees of Holyoke - Booklet Printing Version

 

The project was funded with a Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.