News
Check back here often to learn what's new and what projects are in progress with your East Providence Parks Division.
Top Stories
- September 2011: Parks and Planning Division staff presented the plans for storm water management improvements of Squantum Woods Park before the RI Scenic Roadway Commission. The Commission gave anonymous approval of the project.
- Parks Division staff continues to assist residents with the removal of debris from Tropical Storm Irene.
- August 2011 - The Parks Division is pleased to announce that Coastal Resources Management Council has approved plans for rehabilitation of the small pond at Squantum Woods. Dredging and construction activity should begin later this season.
- TREE CITY USA
The National Arbor Day Foundation and the Department of Environmental Management, Division of Forestry is pleased to announce that the City of East Providence has again qualified as a Tree City USA. This is the eighteenth consecutive year that the City's forestry program has been given this national recognition.
- INSECT ALERT - European Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)
This insect pest has been introduced to North America from Europe. In the west, the infestations range from Vancouver to Oregon. Populations have been moderately controlled in eastern Canada as well, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The first infestations in the northeast US have been discovered in Massachusetts from just south of Boston to central Cape Cod. The moth is now found in this area. Adult moths emerge from the soil to breed in late November. The nearly wingless females climb the trees in search of sites to lay their eggs. When the average temperature, late winter/spring, reaches 55 degrees the eggs hatch and the young larvae which resemble inchworms, tunnel into and feed upon the buds of trees. As the larvae mature, they attack expanding leaf clusters and fruitlets, defoliating trees and destroying the marketability of fruit. Larvae feed until mid-June, then migrate into the soil to pupate, where they remain until emerging as adult moths. Repeated attacks of this pest cause tree decline and mortality.
- INSECT ALERT - Destructive tree pest found in nearby Massachusetts
(UPDATE JUNE 2010) Asian Longhorned Beetle has been found in Boston. The Asian Longhorned Beetle, (ALB), an invasive insect that is native to China and other areas of eastern Asia, and infests many hardwood trees, has been discovered in Worcester, MA. This insect can cause widespread mortality of poplar, willow, elm and maple trees. From January through July 2009 almost 26,000 trees have been removed in parts of Worcester. The beetle is an invasive species in the United States and is a serious threat to many species of deciduous hardwood trees. In addition, nursery stock, logs, green lumber, firewood, stumps, roots, branches and wood debris of a half-inch or more in diameter are subject to infestation. The ALB was first discovered in the United States in 1996 in the Greenpoint Section of Brooklyn, NY and has also been discovered in New Jersey and Chicago. It is believed that the beetle was brought to the US in wooden packing material used in cargo shipments from China. The beetle is large, ranging from 0.75-1.25 inches long with very long black and white antennae. The body is glossy black with irregular white spots. Adults can be seen from late spring to late fall depending on the climate. For more information please visit: RI DEM News Release
If you see this insect on ANY tree please contact East Providence Parks at 435-7756.
- Sabin Point Park Improvements
All of the concrete walkways, site improvements and irrigation system have been installed. This spring the newly loamed areas have been seeded and the mini basketball court resurfaced. The Parks Division has received a Community Development Block Grant and the park amenities have been installed. Tree replanting is scheduled for this fall (2010).
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