Gray once had hundreds of large shade trees lining the heavily traveled roads of its busy town center. Torn down to make way for vast stretches of pavement and storefronts or ruined by disease, few of the stately trees remain in the town’s center.

But all that could change, said George Thebarge, the town’s economic development director, with a combined effort between the state, the town and a proposed committee of Gray residents interested in saving existing trees and planting new ones.

Starting Sept. 14, the town of Gray, along with the Maine Forest Service and a local arborist, will commence a survey of trees in the downtown area. David MacDonald, owner of Whitney Tree Service in Gray, will spend about 10 days inspecting the 200 or so trees that are near, or hanging over, the roadway along routes 100, 26 and 115 in the town center. A database will be created documenting each tree’s condition.

“Dave (MacDonald) will look at each tree, determine its health and vitality, and figure out what it needs. Perhaps a limb needs to be taken off or the whole tree needs to be taken down,” Thebarge said.

The effort is part of and partially paid for by a statewide initiative called Project Canopy. Overseen by the Maine Forest Service, Project Canopy helps towns address tree concerns before they become a problem for property owners or passing motorists. The program also works with towns to chart a long-term course for improving the appearance of downtowns with the use of newly planted trees.

“There was a whole different philosophy back a few decades ago when the downtown was getting built up. Cars good; trees bad,” Thebarge said.

Large trees were taken down all around downtown Gray in the 1970s and ’80s because the trees blocked signage, as well as driveways into businesses, Thebarge said. The Gray of today is a stark contrast to yesteryear, when families often planted trees between their property and the road to help with noise, dust and improve aesthetics. Some of those trees, mostly maples, can still be seen just outside the immediate downtown limits, Thebarge said.

While there are upfront costs to Gray involved in the new program – about $6,000 – Thebarge said “in the long run, it’s more cost-effective to have a good maintenance program.”

According to Jan Ames Santerre, Project Canopy coordinator, preventing costly storm damage is a prime reason why Gray and 18 other towns in Maine have gotten involved with Project Canopy this year.

The project will help with issues of fallen branches caused by storms, which can cost several hundred dollars each time Whitney Tree Service, the town’s contracted arborist, is called upon to deal with tree removal. Thebarge also said residents with damaged trees could avoid costly removal as a result of this project.

“Central Maine Power does a lot of tree work, but their main concern is protecting their lines,” Santerre said. “By doing this survey, Gray will find out the ages and condition of each tree. And by doing so they’ll be able to budget more effectively. It’s a much better approach than to wait and see what a storm does. That can be very expensive.”

The town of Gray, which is kicking in $6,000 for Project Canopy, is receiving about $6,500 from the state, as well. The money will pay for the cataloging of trees by Whitney Tree Service as well as pruning or removal of the most problematic trees. Gray is one of several towns and cities across the state to be involved this year in Project Canopy, which is doling out $100,000 to towns interested in managing their trees in 2009.

The next step in the process will be the formation of a volunteer committee to oversee ongoing efforts regarding large trees in downtown Gray. The three-to-five-member committee will be established to work with the town to secure grants for additional tree work and promote new plantings in areas of downtown Gray devoid of trees.

The committee will also hold public meetings to educate and solicit opinions from Gray residents as the program moves forward, Thebarge said.

George Thebarge, left, Gray’s economic development director, and Whitney Tree Service owner David MacDonald stand outside Pennell Institute in Gray last week. MacDonald is surveying each tree in downtown Gray starting Sept. 14 as part of Project Canopy, a state program that helps towns like Gray catalog and maintain their trees. (Staff photo by John Balentine)