The sweep was one of many that has affected this particular community, according to an Instagram post uploaded by Act on Mass Regional Organizer Calla Walsh, in which she described what she witnessed.

Those trees were planted in 1977 — the same year the gas lamps were installed. Roughly more than two-thirds of the trees have since died, while the remaining five are in bad health, according to the letter.

The Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery hosted its 30th Annual Recovery Day Celebration Wednesday, which featured speakers, comedians and artists, as well as a speech from Mayor Marty Walsh.  A virtual panel on employment opportunities for those recovering from substance use disorder or disadvantaged by criminal records is scheduled for next Tuesday. Other events focused on how to talk about addiction and the systematic exclusion of racial minorities from the recovery movement. Aside from these educational and informational events, this year’s Recovery Month activities included fitness-oriented events hosted by NamaStay Fighting and the Boston BullDogs Running Club.  Walsh, who has been open about his own recovery from alcohol addiction, created the Office of Recovery Services — the first municipal recovery office in the U.S., according to the City — in 2015 during his first term as mayor.  During the pandemic, those who suffer from substance use disorder have faced new challenges, including isolation, greater economic instability and reduced access to services.