80 
EASTERN SHADE TREE CONFERENCE 
Tree Wardens Association; The 15 th National Shade Tree Conference; 
The Massachusetts Forest and Park Ass’n; Department of Public Works 
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; The Field and Forest Club of 
Boston; The New England Regional Planning Commission; all New 
England State Planning Commissions; The Massachusetts State College; 
all New England Womens Clubs; all New England Garden Clubs; all 
New England Tree Expert and Surgery Companies; The Mayors Club 
of New England; The Boston Real Estate Exchange; all power, light 
and communications companies operating within New England, and to 
the President and Board of Directors of the International Municipal 
Signal Ass’n. 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That this resolution be spread upon 
the minutes of this meeting and printed copies be made available for 
member distribution. 
The hurricane of September 21st, 1938 caused serious damage to 
aerial line construction, which resulted in hazardous interruption of 
Fire Alarm, Police Communication, Traffic Lights, Street Lighting, 
Electrical Supply and Public Communication circuits throughout the 
New England States including the eastern sections of New York and 
New Jersey. 
This tremendous damage and serious interruption to municipal 
signal services together with other electrical transmission lines was 
caused in the majority of cases by the uprooting of trees and the break¬ 
ing off of diseased limbs which fell on and demolished these aerial lines, 
and led the members of our association to consider the possibilities of 
securing the co-operation of the Public, of Governmental Authorities, 
and associations interested in the preservation of our shade trees, to¬ 
ward a better planned method of placing and planting of shade trees in 
the future, particularly in new real estate development, and the plant¬ 
ing of new trees in an effort to rehabilitate the affected storm area, which 
has already been started. 
Recognizing that public shade trees are priceless assets and worthy 
of every protection that the Law can afford, the Association passed the 
above resolutions pointing out that in the recent hurricane many of the 
uprooted trees resulted from poor root systems, and man-made injuries 
inflicted so that improved highway and sidewalk pavements might be 
obtained, and that shade or ornamental trees can not live long with root 
systems confined to the soil directly below modern pavements. 
The resolution also calls attention to a Massachusetts Law, which 
authorizes the planting of shade trees, using public funds along highways, 
and with certain restrictions on private property. Municipal Ordi- 
