Claremont residents have a love affair with trees. It’s always been that way. Even when the city was founded in 1907, trees were a hot item. One group of trees, the jolly green giant eucalyptus along College Avenue, have historic significance dating back over 100 years. Frank P. Brackett, chairman of the Street Tree Committee back in 1898, was responsible for growing an urban forest in the then town of Claremont. Mr. Brackett not only planted many of these tiny eucalyptus specimens, he used buckets to hand water each one of them.

Claremont has changed dramatically since then, but these trees continue to flourish like a beacon leading to the village. With the help advances in aerial photography, it’s easy to see how large these trees can grow. With the number of trees in the city now reaching 23,000, it’s clear this urban forest adds to our quality of life.

With so many subjects to photograph, we included an up close video with a treetop view showing just how green Claremont looks. You can access the video from a link on the COURIER website homepage, or on our Facebook page. —PW