The fresh scent of pine drifted through the rows of headstones at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen on Wednesday as utility companies teamed up with tree crews to improve the landscape of this sacred ground that serves as a final resting place for the nation’s heroes.
The work was performed as part of a national maintenance and beautification effort known as Saluting Branches, which began in 2015 and has become the largest one-day volunteer event in the tree care industry, dedicated to honoring veterans by enhancing veteran-designated areas across the U.S., including in New Hampshire.
“This is one of the most beautiful places. I think it’s really nice to be able to do this, not only for our veterans, but also for the families that come here,” said Angela Fellers, a Senior Forestry Coordinator at Unitil whose father and other family and friends served in the military.
Fellers and other members of Unitil’s forestry team partnered with tree crews from Asplundh Tree Expert for the event. Unitil, which regularly contracts with Asplundh for tree pruning and vegetation management, donated the time of two Asplundh crews for the work at the veterans cemetery, where the remains of just under 18,420 veterans are buried.
Unitil, which began participating in Saluting Branches in 2016, sent additional forestry employees and Asplundh crews to Cathedral of the Pines, a sanctuary in Rindge that serves as a memorial to war veterans and their families.
“It’s a humbling experience,” said Jeff Fellows, a general foreman at Asplundh who, like Fellers, has been participating in the effort for the last decade.
Unitil and Asplundh crews worked alongside others from Eversource, New Hampshire Electric Co-op, ArborTech, Bartlett Tree Experts, Collins Tree Service, Wright Tree Service, and TimBer Property Consulting. The New Hampshire Arborists Association also donated a tree for the cemetery.
Saluting Branches aims to create safe, beautiful, and respectful spaces dedicated to veterans by bringing together arborists, tree care professionals, and volunteers to provide tree and lawn care services. Since its inception, Saluting Branches has contributed approximately $4.5 million in donated services and thousands of volunteer hours.
With the whir of chainsaws and the rhythmic thump of branches dropping to the ground, crews carefully trimmed overgrown trees to improve safety and beautify the area. Other work included the removal of several white pine trees along the Memorial Walkway to open the area up and provide more light. Trees were also removed around a garden area.
Shawn Buck, director of the state veterans cemetery, said Saluting Branches brings another level of expertise to assist the small staff that works hard to maintain the grounds throughout the year.
“Cemeteries are a place where people go to grieve in their own way or to honor in their own way and the trees and the plants are a huge part of the beauty of the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery. Our guys are great, but they’re not arborists and they’re not tree experts. We’re just grateful to have the expertise of this community to enhance the beauty of our cemetery to make it a great place to visit. I really look at it as my mission to make this a place of pride for all residents in the state of New Hampshire because everybody in New Hampshire is one degree of separation from somebody here,” he said as the natural fragrance of fresh-cut evergreens mingled with the solemn quiet of the cemetery grounds.
Unitil Forestry Supervisor Ben Richard has been lending a hand for the past several years.
“It’s great that everybody comes together and helps out. It’s not lost on us how awesome this is. This work is extensive. It’s hard to do and very technical. A lot of people don’t know a lot about trees and what you can and can’t do,” he said.
The volunteer day was personal for Larry Polley, an Army veteran who works for Bartlett Tree Experts and knows veterans buried at the veterans cemetery.
“When you join the military, you don’t do it for college money. You do it for your country,” he said, adding that volunteering for Saluting Branches is another way for him to give back.
For more information on Saluting Branches, visit salutingbranches.org.
