Federal Grant to Fund 800 Tree Plantings in North Adams

03:06PM / Thursday, December 27, 2018Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Northern Berkshire Community Coalition will lead an effort to plant more than 800 new trees on public and private land in the city of North Adams over the next three years.

The tree-planting project, an initiative of the Franklin Land Trust and funded by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service, will offer trees to residents and businesses, and also will replace dying or dead trees along downtown streets and within city neighborhoods.

"Trees in urban and suburban neighborhoods provide many benefits to the people who live near them, including improving air and water quality, reducing energy costs, and increasing the physical and social well-being of residents," Bret Beattie, the coalition's tree-planting coordinator, said in a statement. "Trees reduce heating and cooling costs, help to control storm water runoff, and help cool city streets on hot summer days."

NBCC will work with the University of Massachusetts' Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the city's Department of Public Services to develop a tree-planting plan. Residents and businesses can receive free trees, but can also get involved to help plant trees and to become part of a local network of "tree stewards," helping to educate the public about the benefits of trees.

"This project provides an incredible opportunity to enhance our residential neighborhoods and our downtown by planting trees," said Mayor Thomas Bernard in a statement. "I'm grateful to the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition for leading this effort, which represents a terrific collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies; the nonprofit, education, and government sectors; and local residents interested in neighborhood improvement, environmental sustainability, resource management, and the natural beauty of our city and our region."

The U.S. Forest Service offers grant funding for conservation efforts, forest protection and urban greening. Pittsfield two years ago received funding through the state's Greening of the Gateway Cities program to plant 2,400 trees.

Tree planting is scheduled to begin in the spring. Prior to the launch of the tree planting project, the coalition will host a public meeting for residents and volunteers to learn more and provide feedback. Anyone interested in learning more about the tree-planting program and related volunteer opportunities, or in requesting a free tree for a home or business located in North Adams can contact Beattie at 413-663-7588, Ext. 28.

Tags: trees, urban forest,

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North Adams Becomes a Purple Heart Community

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Veterans Service Officer Kurtis Durocher, a Purple Heart recipient, tells his own story of how he was wounded in Iraq.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City leaders last week held a ceremony marking the city as a Purple Heart Community to honor local military service members wounded or killed in combat.

"This designation is much more than a sign that will stand at the entrances to our city," said Kurtis Durocher, Northern Berkshire veterans service officer at City Hall on Friday. "It is a lasting commitment and a promise to this community. We'll never forget the sacrifices made by those who are wounded or killed while serving our nation. It is a public declaration of the courage and sacrifices of combat wounded. Veterans will always have a place of honor here in North Adams."

As a Purple Heart Community, North Adams will place signs throughout the city acknowledging the designation. The city will also hold a ceremony every Aug. 7 on National Purple Heart Day.

During the inaugural ceremony, Durocher said he was asked by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to find a keynote speaker for the event, preferably a Purple Heart recipient. But he was unable to find someone willing to speak. With the date approaching, he decided to tell his own story.

"I don't like standing up and telling my own personal story ... But I realized, in my position as a VSO, I get so many ... children of veterans who will say, 'I didn't know anything about my father until after he passed because he just didn't talk about it,'" Durocher said. "... I have been that way until I've gotten into this position, and so, now, I try to tell my story as much as I can when it is brought to me."

Durocher served in the Army for 20 years and retired as a master sergeant. On Friday, he recalled a time early in his career while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division deploying to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On Sept. 12, 2003, his squad was conducting a patrol on Route Irish in Baghdad. He was serving as a gunner on an LMTV when it was struck by a 155-millimeter artillery shell. He said the explosive had been hidden behind a guardrail and detonated using nothing more than a washing machine timer.

"In an instant, everything changed. The blast knocked me unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I instinctively was removing my helmet," he said. "Almost immediately my training took over. We had been taught repeatedly that attacks like this were often followed by a secondary attack or an ambush. I quickly put my helmet back on and began searching for my machine gun."

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