• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Back Bay Trees

Note: search for addresses using only the number and street name,
without the “st” or “ave”. For example “117 Beacon” or just “Beacon”.

  • Home
  • Back Bay Tree Removal Policy
  • About Back Bay Trees
    • Historical Trees
  • Map of Boston’s Back Bay
  • Contact Us
  • Arlington
    • Arlington: Commonwealth-Marlborough
    • Arlington: Marlborough-Beacon
  • Beacon
    • Beacon: Arlington-Berkeley
    • Beacon: Berkeley-Clarendon
    • Beacon: Clarendon-Dartmouth
    • Beacon: Dartmouth-Exeter
    • Beacon: Exeter-Fairfield
    • Beacon: Fairfield-Gloucester
    • Beacon: Gloucester-Hereford
    • Beacon: Hereford-Mass. Ave.
    • Beacon: Mass.Ave.-Charlesgate East
  • Berkeley
    • Berkeley: Commonwealth-Marlborough
    • Berkeley: Marlborough-Beacon
  • Clarendon
    • Clarendon: Marlborough-Beacon
  • Commonwealth
    • Commonwealth: Arlington-Berkeley
    • Commonwealth: Berkeley-Clarendon
    • Commonwealth: Clarendon-Dartmouth
    • Commonwealth: Dartmouth-Exeter
    • Commonwealth: Exeter-Fairfield
    • Commonwealth: Fairfield-Gloucester
    • Commonwealth: Gloucester-Hereford
    • Commonwealth: Hereford-Mass. Ave.
    • Commonwealth: Mass. Ave.-Charlesgate
  • Dartmouth
    • Dartmouth: Commonwealth-Marlborough
  • Exeter
    • Exeter: Marlborough-Beacon
    • Exeter: Commonwealth-Newbury
  • Fairfield
    • Fairfield: Commonwealth-Marlborough
    • Fairfield: Marlborough-Beacon
  • Gloucester
    • Gloucester: Commonwealth-Marlborough
    • Gloucester: Marlborough-Beacon
  • Hereford
    • Hereford: Marlborough-Beacon
    • Hereford: Newbury-Commonwealth
  • Marlborough
    • Marlborough: Arlington-Berkeley
    • Marlborough: Berkeley-Clarendon
    • Marlborough: Clarendon-Dartmouth
    • Marlborough: Dartmouth-Exeter
    • Marlborough: Exeter-Fairfield
    • Marlborough: Fairfield-Gloucester
    • Marlborough: Gloucester-Hereford
    • Marlborough: Hereford-Mass Ave
    • Marlborough: Mass. Ave.-Charlesgate East
  • Back Street
    • Back Street: Berkeley-Clarendon
    • Back Street: Clarendon-Dartmouth
    • Back Street: Dartmouth-Exeter
    • Back Street: Exeter-Fairfield
    • Back Street: Fairfield-Gloucester
    • Back Street: Gloucester-Hereford
    • Back Street: Hereford-Mass. Ave.
    • Back Street: Mass. Ave.-Charlesgate
  • Beacon-Marlborough Alleys
    • Arlington-Berkeley Alley #421
    • Berkeley-Clarendon Alley #420
    • Clarendon-Dartmouth Alley #419
    • Dartmouth-Exeter Alley #418
    • Exeter-Fairfield Alley #417
    • Fairfield-Gloucester Alley #416
    • Gloucester-Hereford Alley #415
    • Hereford-Mass. Ave. Alley #414
    • Mass. Ave. west Alley #908
  • Marlborough-Commonwealth Alleys
    • Arlington-Berkeley Alley #422
    • Berkeley-Clarendon Alley #423
    • Clarendon-Dartmouth Alley #424
    • Dartmouth-Exeter Alley #425
    • Exeter-Fairfield Alley #426
    • Fairfield-Gloucester Alley #427
    • Gloucester-Hereford Alley #428
    • Hereford-Mass. Ave. Alley #429
    • Mass. Ave. west Alley #905
  • Commonwealth-Newbury Alleys
    • Arlington-Berkeley Alley #437
    • Berkeley-Clarendon Alley #436
    • Clarendon-Dartmouth Alley #435
    • Dartmouth-Exeter Alley #434
    • Exeter-Fairfield Alley #433
    • Fairfield-Gloucester Alley #432
    • Gloucester-Hereford Alley #431
    • Hereford-Mass. Ave. Alley #430

Boston’s Back Bay is famous for its spectacular Victorian and Edwardian residential architecture and its vibrant shopping & cultural amenities. Yet, its trees are an often-unrecognized element of what makes the Back Bay so wonderful.

While the Boston Parks Department has been a responsive partner in the care and maintenance of the street trees in the neighborhood, and building owners are generally very attentive to front garden trees, there is a growing concern about the increase in the number of requests to remove trees in the alleys of Back Bay. Many alley trees have been illegally removed to allow for parking.

This website contains survey information collected by volunteers from the Garden Club of the Back Bay for the trees of Back Bay’s front gardens and alleys (and for Back Street) beginning in 2010 and 2016. This information should be considered a first step towards a complete understanding of these amazing (and often embattled) trees.

Trees in the urban environment provide many ecological services: reducing air pollution by trapping particulate matter and absorbing pollutants, accumulating biomass that absorbs carbon and nutrients, diverting large amounts of rain from overtaxed storm drainage systems, providing shade to reduce energy costs, mitigating the effects of the urban heat island, reducing wind and noise, providing wildlife habitat, food, and shelter.

Beyond these scientific benefits, trees have a calming effect on people. Trees show that an area is cared for, they provide an environment for people to gather and build community, they enhance our quality of life and are a source of beauty. They can also increase property values by as much as ten percent.

Today, the Back Bay’s trees are protected. Please see the page on Tree Removal Policy in the Back Bay for more information.

SaveSave

Primary Sidebar

Tree Status Codes

Trees with strikeout have been removed

By Street & Cross Streets

Current Species

Ailanthus American Dogwood Apple Arborvitae Beech Birch Callery Pear Cherry Crabapple Dogwood Elm Flowering Cherry Ginkgo Hinoki Cyprus Holly Honey Locust japanese maple Japanese Maple, dwarf JapaneseMaple, red Japanese Red Maple Juniper Katsura Kousa Dogwood Kwanzan Cherry Linden locust Magnolia Maple Mulberry Mystery Norway Maple Oak Plum Redbud River Birch Saucer Magnolia Silver Maple Star Magnolia Stewartia Styrax Sycamore Maple Unknown Weeping Cherry White Birch Yew

Recent Updates

  • 344 Beacon June 4, 2020
  • 401 Commonwealth Avenue October 31, 2019
  • 90 Commonwealth October 29, 2019
  • 9 Marlborough October 29, 2019
  • 9 Gloucester October 29, 2019

Affiliated Organizations

Garden Club of the Back Bay

Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay

Back Bay Houses

© 2023 Back Bay Trees - Site design by Carr-Jones, Inc.