WAUPACA, WI – A new tree planting project at Lakemen Field is designed to ensure one of Waupaca’s most recognizable baseball landmarks remains intact for future generations.
Waupaca Public Works Director Justin Berrens said the project was developed as city officials began looking ahead to the eventual decline of the aging pine trees that have lined the outfield for decades.
Lakemen Field has been a fixture in the community since the 1970s or earlier, when it was established with the help of a stewardship grant. Since then, the field has served as a centerpiece of Waupaca’s park system and home to the Waupaca Lakemen baseball program.
“The city has a commitment to that field as part of our parks and wants it to be just like the rest of our parks, high quality and something people can enjoy,” Berrens said.
For as long as many residents can remember, a row of pine trees beyond the outfield fence has provided a distinctive backdrop for games. While the trees remain standing today, Berrens said age is beginning to take its toll.
“Those trees are getting to the point where they’re losing branches. They’re getting up there in age,” Berrens said.
The city has heard from players and fans alike about the value those trees provide.
“We’ve heard a lot of compliments from both ballplayers and people. It’s basically a giant green screen,” Berrens said. “It’s just a nice backdrop. For the players, seeing the pitch as the pitchers are playing, it’s good for that. And then just people watching, it has a really nice aesthetic to it.”
Rather than waiting until the older trees need to be removed, city officials decided to begin planting a new generation of trees now, allowing them time to mature.
“Knowing that those things are getting up there in age, kind of fading, we thought we should start replacing now,” Berrens said. “When those things start to go, inevitably, we’ll have some younger trees filling in and growing up and providing that same benefit.”
The project was made possible through funding assistance from Wisconsin Public Service and American Transmission Company. Berrens said both utility companies support tree planting initiatives as a way to offset vegetation management work required around power lines.
“They trim, they cut, they clear, and both companies recognize, ‘Hey, we need to kind of give back,'” Berrens said. “If we’re going to be removing or cutting back trees in our area, we should give back so trees can grow somewhere else.”
The donations covered part of the project cost, with the remainder funded through the city’s forestry budget.
“When we are able to match up grant funding to a program we already do, that’s a win-win,” Berrens said.
The newly planted trees have already faced an early challenge. Following last week’s severe storms and heavy rainfall, Berrens said the young trees at Lakemen Field held up well despite widespread cleanup efforts elsewhere in the community.
“There were plenty of trees throughout the community that got hit pretty hard and we had to do a lot of cleanup,” Berrens said. “But those ones back there held up pretty well.”
Berrens described the project as an example of what can happen when multiple organizations work toward a common goal.
“This type of project is one of those things that just kind of came together from many different stakeholders who all have a similar interest and a similar drive,” he said. “When you put all the pieces of the puzzle together, it just clicks. Everybody benefits from this. It’s a win-win.”
City officials expect the newly planted trees to eventually provide the same visual appeal, shade and environmental benefits that generations of Lakemen players and fans have enjoyed for decades.
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