If the trees in Mattapoisett could talk, they’d likely have some interesting stories to tell. But since this isn’t Middle Earth, the Mattapoisett Tree Committee is relying on local residents to share their favorite memories of the town’s leafy giants.

Around ten stories have already been collected and are now on display at the Mattapoisett Library in an exhibit called “Rooted in Mattapoisett.”

“Mattapoisett has a lot of really interesting trees. We haven’t really even scratched the surface,” said Mattapoisett Tree Committee member Sandy Hering.

As a Tree City USA town, the committee needs to have at least one community project a year as part of the certification process. In the past, members have often focused their arboreal projects on kids, but Hering said, “This one is the one that probably has grabbed more of the town folk to start contributing, and I hope it continues.”

The town’s trees have been integral in the lives of many members, which is reflected in the stories.

Richard Morgado of Dexter Lane wrote a short piece for the exhibit titled, “My Special Tree.”

“It was a sapling before the town was a town,” wrote Morgado. “When I was a boy I carved my initials into the trunk…I know one day Mother Nature will take that tree but until then I will enjoy its shade and ponder its history and hope it lives longer than I do.”

Natalie Hemingway remembered the copper beach tree on Randall Road that she used to climb on as a kid. Howard Tinkham recalled the history of a butternut tree on Long Plain Road that was brought from the Chicago World’s Fair.

He also remembered “The Posting Tree,” a tall black oak that was once on the corner of Long Plain Road and Acushnet Road. Every year before Town Meeting, the articles were posted on a bulletin board mounted to the tree. People in the area would converge to discuss the articles. The tree “expired” in 1963, according to Tinkham, though a sapling from it still survives.

Few in town remember such stories and that's why the Tree Committee feels an urgency to document them.

“Unless we record these stories now, they’re going to be lost. People just don’t pass them on as they move out of the community,” said Hering. “We know there are more stories.”

Moreover, the stories emphasize how important trees are to the town. Hering acknowledges that not everyone is as gung ho about trees at her committee, but she said they have a lot of benefits. They raise property values, draw people to the town, provide cooling and stabilize the soil.

“They are wonderful. There are so many reasons why we should protect our trees,” she said.

The stories and photos collected so far will be on display throughout the Mattapoisett Library until Aug. 25. In the future, the committee plans to have new stories posted inside the Town Hall. Until then, they still want to collect more tales of the town’s trees.

Submit stories by mail to the Mattapoisett Tree Committee, c/o Town Hall, P.O. Box 435, Mattapoisett, MA 02739 or drop them off in the committee’s box outside the town clerk’s office.