Largess Help To Maintain Belmont’s Pine Allée

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Photo: Bemont’s Pine Allée

An allée, according to the home design platform Houzz, is a pastoral walkway through evenly planted trees … that bring travelers to their destination in style. (The word “allée” is French for “way to go.”) Traversing an allée “reinforces the feeling that one has arrived.”

You don’t have to travel far to visit a truly unique example of this landscape: The Grand Allée at the Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich is a half-mile of manicured lawn between evergreens that descends to the ocean.

While most notable samples are finely sculptured vistas, a unique example lies between Lone Tree Hill Conservation Land and Concord Avenue just beyond Highland Meadow Cemetery heading toward Lexington. Shortly after the land was purchased by McLean Hospital in 1906, pines were planted, either as a windbreak or as an artistic creation.

Today, Belmont’s Pine Allée runs east to west for nearly 1,000 feet, 165 mature pines reach 100 feet tall, joining white pine saplings planted recently to form a strikingly natural topography, producing a haunting, Gothic take on the form.

“If you walk there now, it’s very green along the lower parts of the allée from the young saplings, and up above you’ve got the older trees so it’s quite a nice sight,” said Roger Wrubel, executive director of the Fund.

On Monday, Aug. 28, Belmont’s pine allée became the beneficiary of a $40,000 donation from the Judy Record Conservation Fund that will be used to maintain the nearly 300 trees.

“The trees are big and have heavy limbs … so a lot of the money will be used for pruning up those trees as well as other maintenance and invasive weed control,” said Wrubel before the Select Board. “The ones we planted recently are getting pretty large right now,” he said.

Going To Rock Meadow? Put A Leash On Your Pooch!

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Photo: Rock Meadow Conservation land

It’s spring. You and your canine have been cooped up for … how long? The temperature outside is going up and the sun is warm. With all of Belmont’s parks closed, the destination of choice for Fido and you to go for a romp has become town conservation land including Rock Meadow and Lone Tree Hill. For many owners, it’s been the first chance to allow their pets to stretch their four legs for a month.

And that’s been a problem in the eyes of the town official who manage the land and who see after residents’ health. Off-leash dogs have become a nuisance for several reasons as their owners are congregating along the trails during this time of social distancing.

And they are now putting their collective feet down. In coordination with the Belmont Conservation Commission, Belmont Board of Health, Belmont Police and Belmont Animal Control, the town is placing all visitors at Rock Meadow and Lone Tree Hill Conservation Land and Trails on notice that there are expectations of responsible behavior throughout the properties.

“We are all a part of this community and we are asking for everyone’s help and cooperation so we can keep our treasured trails open and safe for everyone,” read the notice released this week.

First and foremost, DOGS MUST BE LEASHED AT ALL TIMES. Off-Leash dogs are not permitted in Belmont. Going forward, this bylaw will be strictly enforced with fines issued with a fine up to $500.

Then there is the issue of DOG WASTE. Officials remind owners to pick up and properly dispose of your dog’s waste and anything else you bring with you. If there is no trash barrel or if the barrel is full, please take it home. Do not leave bagged waste on the property. You can be fined up to $500 if you don’t pick up after your poochie.

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOUSE IF YOU ARE SICK. Rules relating to self-isolation for those who might be sick with the coronavirus applies even when in the great outdoors.

Relating to the previous statement, MAINTAIN PHYSICAL DISTANCING; keep you and your dog at least 6-feet away from other trail users and do not cluster in groups as that may prevent others from getting around you outside a safe six-foot distance.

And lastly, IF A PARKING AREA IS CROWDED, SO ARE THE TRAILS. Residents should visit another Conservation area if the parking lot is full or come back at a time when it is less crowded. Do not park in front of Conservation Land gates or along Mill Street. This will be monitored by Belmont Police.

“Once again, WE are all part of this community and we are asking for everyone’s help! If you see a walker violating these rules, please kindly remind them,” read the email.

Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day Saturday, April 27; 9-Noon

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Photo: Planting trees in Belmont’s Lone Tree Hill (belmontcitizensforum.org)

On Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to noon, the Belmont Citizens Forum in conjunction with the Judy Record Conservation Fund is sponsoring the seventh annual Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day, and we invite you to participate, come rain or shine.

This year, there are having two work sites,

• plant white pines along the Pine Allee,

• clean up the trash and/or clear invasive plants along South Pleasant Street, across from Star Market and Artefact Home and Garden shop.

If you’d like to work on the Pine Allee, meet at the Belmont Citizens Forum white canopy in the Lone Tree Hill parking lot on Mill Street. Please bring a shovel and gloves to plant the trees along the Allee.

If you’d like to work on the much-needed trash or invasive plant removal along South Pleasant Street, meet at the green-and-white “Belmont Bikes” Belmont Citizens Forum tent at the bottom of Coal Road, opposite Star Market. Please bring a shovel and gloves to remove the knotweed at upper Coal Road.

High school and middle school students can earn community service credits—check in at the Belmont Citizens Forum tent or table, and make sure we sign off on your work.

Volunteers are suggested to wear closed shoes, long sleeves and long pants to protect against potential sensitivities to plants and insects. Bring gloves, bug spray, and a water bottle.

This volunteer event is made possible by our corporate sponsors, including: Gold Level Sponsors: Ann Mahon Realty, Belmont Land Trust, Cityside Subaru, East Boston Savings Bank, and Watertown Savings Bank.

Annual Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day Takes Place Saturday, 9AM-1PM

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Photo: Working at the Pine Allee
On Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Belmont Citizens Forum in conjunction with the Judith K. Record Memorial Conservation Fund is sponsoring its fifth annual Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day. 
High school and middle school students can earn community service credits.
This year, there is a pair of volunteer efforts:
Pine Allee Tree Planting Work
If you’d like to work on the Pine Allee, meet at the Belmont Citizens Forum white canopy in the Lone Tree Hill parking lot on Mill Street. Please bring a shovel and gloves to plant the trees along the Allee. The Judith K. Record Memorial Conservation Fund and Land Management Committee are currently funding the Allee project to replace the trees that were either diseased or not viable in some other way.  The Tree Specialists, Inc. will be supervising the work.
Trash Cleanup at South Pleasant Street
If you’d like to work on the much-needed trash removal along South Pleasant Street, meet at the green-and-white “Belmont Bikes” Belmont Citizens Forum tent at the bottom of Coal Road, basically opposite the Star Market. Star Market has generously given us permission for volunteers to park at the Pleasant Street end of their lot. 
This volunteer event is made possible by our corporate sponsors, including:
  • Platinum Level Sponsor: Northland Residential
  • Gold Level Sponsors: Ann Mahon Realty, Cityside Subaru, East Boston Savings Bank and Watertown Savings Bank 
  • Silver Level Sponsors: Artefact Home and Garden, Belmont Land Trust, Belmont Savings Bank, Cambridge Savings Bank, Century 21 Adams Lawndale, East Cambridge Savings Bank, Middlesex Savings Bank, Renaissance Realty and The Great American Rain Barrel.
  • Our Community Cosponsors include Belmont Land Management Committee for Lone Tree Hill, Mass Audubon Habitat Sanctuary, and Sustainable Belmont.
Visit belmontcitizensforum.org for details, or e-mail us at bcfprogramdirector@gmail.com. 

Lone Tree Hill’s Pine Allée Receives $150K Gift from Record Memorial Fund

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Photo: The Pine Allée in Belmont’s Lone Tree Hill.

You have probably admired them without knowing it had a name.

Walking between a line of trees or shrubs along each side of a lane, an allée is a landscape feature first formally used in French gardens and estates to emphasize the “coming to,” or arrival to a specific point of interest.

The best-known example in these parts is the Grand Allée on the Crane Estate at Castle Hill in Ipswich. Finished a century ago this year, the half-mile-long, 100-foot-wide stretch of turf, bordered by two rows of trees, is a spectacular example of that effect. 

Screen Shot 2015-12-28 at 3.28.13 PM

But you don’t have to take a trip to the North Shore to see one around Belmont, there’s one already here.

The Pine Allée, running adjacent to upper Concord Avenue near the Belmont Hill Club on the Lone Tree Hill Conservation Land, is one of the signature landscape features of the newest open space in Belmont.  

But like so much open land in Belmont, there is always a need for funds to maintain this historical landmark.

Earlier this month, Belmont Board of Selectmen accepted a $150,000 gift from the Judith K Record Memorial Conservation Fund to begin the much-needed work on the allée. 

Kit Dreier, chair of the Record Fund, told the board the fund’s trustees were pleased that the funds will be used to hire an arbor care firm to undertake and oversee the recommended work, much of it to be performed during the winter when the ground is frozen so not to damage the landscape.

“We hope that the measures to protect the Allée’s health and to assure its long-term safety will extend its life well into the future,” said Dreier. 

Get Your Hands Dirty Cleaning Up Lone Tree Hill

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Known for its trails, bike paths and open spaces, Lone Tree Hill – Belmont’s newest open space managed by the Town for conservation and passive recreation – is needing a little love after a long winter.

On Saturday, April 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., residents and students seeking community service credits can come to the entrance to the land on South Pleasant Street for Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day sponsored by the Belmont Citizens Forum. And there will be a lot to do to spruce up this section of the Western Greenway: there is trash pick up, trail maintenance and spreading woodchips. Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, water, big garden clippers, loppers and apply bug spray before coming.

Volunteers can park in the Star Market parking lot near South Pleasant Street; you’ll see the entry to Lone Tree Hill at the green and blue BCF tent.