Silver Maple Forest Update

As you may know, the Silver Maple Forest in Belmont has been the site of a controversial development for some time. In the last week the developer has cut down many of the trees. This has been met with civil disobedience and has resulted in 13 people being arrested on trespassing charges. A temporary restraining order against tree-clearing in the Silver Maple Forest went into place late Monday morning (10/20), after a weekend in which developers went on cutting as a judge mulled the issues. The restraining order was then reversed on Tuesday.

In light of all that is going on with the forest, the City of Cambridge Committee on Health and Environment will hold a hearing on the impact of the Silver Maple development on the Alewife flood plain on Tuesday, Oct. 28th at 3 p.m., 831 Massachusetts Avenue, Basement Conference Room, Central Square, Cambridge. EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, Executive Director, Mystic River Watershed Association will be on the panel with many qualified scientists.

MyRWA Executive Director EkOngKar Singh Khalsa recently wrote an opinion piece, Forest Preservation versus Development along the Alewife, which you can read here.

The Cambridge Day newspaper has several articles on recent events. Photo from Cambridge Day.

We'll be sure to keep you updated on this situation!