Oak planted at Elizabeth Park in honor of tree expert Richardson
GLASTONBURY – Heather Dionne, Hartford’s city forester and chairwoman of the Urban Forest Council, was sitting in her office recently and said to herself, “We need to plant a tree for Ed Richardson.” It’s a simple gesture for a man who has given his golden years discovering — and protecting — the state’s trees big and small.
Tree expert and Glastonbury resident Ed Richardson has spent his retirement years scouring Connecticut for state and national champion trees. During that time he worked with Connecticut College Arboretum’s “Connecticut’s Notable Tree Project” and gave numerous walks at cemeteries and parks across the state showcasing big trees.
It seems appropriate, then, that this week the city planted a Bur oak, a tree that can grow over 90 feet, with a 130-foot spread, and can live for over 400 years, to honor Richardson’s commitment.
“Ed is a pretty spectacular human being,” Dionne said at the planting of the oak at Elizabeth Park Tuesday. “He devoted his entire retirement to the good of our urban forest. To educating folks to identifying the most incredible trees throughout the state and helping out with inventories … he just has such a passion for it. That’s a gift we all need to celebrate.”
Dionne said Richardson’s legacy is evident through the camaraderie he’s brought to organizations throughout the state: The Elizabeth Park Conservancy alsohonored Richardson with a bench and a plaque. The Connecticut Forest & Park Association and the council will place a plaque on a rock next to the tree that reads: “a Bur oak in honor of Connecticut’s notable tree expert Ed Richardson.”
Richardson, 95, couldn’t attend the planting due to health reasons. His daughter, Heidi Barter, said it’s the perfect tree to honor her father.
“It’s amazing,” she said, after helping to plant the tree. “Of course, he’s my dad so I think he’s amazing. But to hear people think that highly of him was so great to hear.”
Eric Hammerling, executive director of CFPA, said the tree planting is about legacy. Hammerling said Richardson served on the association’s board starting in 1993 and has been an honorary board member.
“He has been an absolute inspiration,” he said. “There was so much he was involved with that he really didn’t blow his own horn about. … We all know how much of a difference Ed makes to how we understand and love trees in Connecticut and we know that will always be the case. This is a wonderful way to celebrate Ed.”
Chris Donnelly, urban forestry coordinator for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said Richardson was the first person he was introduced to when he started his job.
“What a wealth of information,” he said. “He, on more than one occasion, said, ‘Let’s go for a ride.’ And I quickly learned never turn down a ride to go look at trees with Ed. Some of the most amazing trees I’ve seen that I had no idea they were there. … When I think of Ed, I think of gratitude because he is so willing to share all that he knows. He loves having this information to share it with others.”
Jack Hale, chairman of Hartford’s tree advisory commission, said he heard about Richardson and sought out his expertise years ago when the city planned on moving the park’s roads.
“Hehaddone a complete inventory of the entire park — every single tree. He identified them all. Measured them all. Assessed them all. Mapped them all. And discovered there were 125 varieties of trees in the park. There were 25 champion trees, one of which was a national champion. I was like, ‘Holy cow. I just wanted to know if the roads were going to screw things up.’ That document he produced is still the document and an example of what we should be doing…he totally valued the trees around us.”
Peter Marteka can be reached at pmarteka@courant.com.