If you're walking in downtown Westport this summer, you might notice bags on trees.
It’s a process keeping these newly planted trees hydrated in the heat of the summer, without wasting an ounce of water.
"It enables the tree roots and the soil to slowly capture the water and keep it hydrated over a longer time. If you just walked up and put a hose on it, the water would just run off to a street gutter," described Bruce Lindsay, Westport Tree Warden.
Westtport’s Tree Warden, Bruce Lindsay, is the brains behind the program. He tells me the trees you’re seeing are about a month old. Young trees, like these, have a difficult time growing in the initial years, especially in a heavily cemented area, like here on Main Street. But, bags are an easy and an affordable fix, running at about 20 dollars a pop.
"The trees downtown are growing in a 4-by-4 square and everything around it is an impervious surface, so that little 4-by-4 square has to provide enough water for a 4-inch 25-foot tree isn't really enough in the summer months," he continued.
The bags hold up to 20 gallons of water each. Plus, the trees all get injected at the root with water, delivering an additional 20-30 gallons of water each week. You can spot these bags until September or October, when the temperatures begin to cool.