Southie Trees &
Community Gardens

Southie Trees

Southie Trees is an environmental initiative founded by Tech Networks of Boston. In January 2013, Tech Networks decided to focus on the larger issue of climate change and so South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation stepped in and took over the program.

Southie Trees program has planted more than 50 trees in the neighborhood and educated hundreds of residents. In 2016, Southie Trees was awarded a grant from the state to hire an arborist to care for the 150-year-old heritage elm trees that line East Broadway.

Southie Trees is devoted to preserving and maintaining tree cover in South Boston. At less than 10% tree cover, South Boston is the third lowest of all Boston neighborhoods, just ahead of East Boston and Downtown Boston. Every day, trees are being lost to diseases linked to climate change, new, large-scale construction and redevelopment, lack of maintenance, and an overall lack of environmental awareness. There is an urgent need to educate the South Boston community about the importance of trees and how to preserve them.

It is Southie Trees’ goal to ensure that everyone receives the benefits of trees.

More trees mean:

  • Lower asthma and immune disease rates due to pollution filtering

  • Quieter streets thanks to leaves and branch muffling sound

  • Cooler summers from shade and transpiration

  • Higher property values and an aesthetically appealing neighborhood atmosphere

For more information, or to volunteer with tree plantings, tree counting, community gardens or other initiatives, email southietrees@sbndc.org.

Community gardens

Youth Programs - four YA gardening.jpeg

Since the South Boston Grows program closed in 2015, South Boston NDC has staffed 2 community gardens to continue the mission to increase the availability of fresh produce to low income households.

The gardens managed by South Boston NDC provide fresh, local, organic, healthy food to low income residents of South Boston. The gardens are also a vehicle for the education and community engagement of youth, who learn job readiness skills, gardening, and nutrition information.

 South Boston teens, college students, and volunteers maintain the gardens during the growing season. Since 2019 we have partnered with South Boston Catholic Academy to help launch the school’s indoor tower gardens, which produce vegetables year-round and provide a hands-on learning opportunity for students. We are also expanding vegetable gardening opportunities at South Boston NDC rental properties, where feasible.