A beloved Ashland beech tree will get new life. See what's in store for it.

Tom Benoit, The MetroWest Daily News
·3 min read

ASHLAND — Marilyn Matarese was disappointed when she learned that a nearly 200-year-old tree in front of the Matarese Funeral Home and Cremation Service Inc., at the corner of Main and Union streets, had to come down.

The old beech tree, which measured about 6 feet in diameter, was cut down last month due to concern its branches would collapse.

"Bartlett (Tree Experts) had been treating it for a while, (because) it had a fungus like some kind of disease," Matarese said. "It was determined this year to cut it down because there was so much concern about the branches falling down. One side was totally dead and there was a pie-shaped area where the tree was surviving."

Kevin Merle, of New England Urban Lumber in Hopkinton, eyes a 4-by-10-foot, 850-pound slab of beech tree that was just cut with an Alaskan chainsaw mill, a type of sawmill that incorporates a chainsaw and is used by one or two operators to mill logs into lumber for use in furniture, construction and other uses. For nearly 200 years, the tree stood near the corner of Main and Union streets in Ashland, the last 52 years in front of Matarese Funeral Home and Cremation Service Inc. The slabs will become countertops and dining room tables.

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While the Matareses were disappointed the tree had to come down, it's getting a new life thanks to the help of one of Marilyn's former students.

'Hey, Kevin, I've got a huge tree I'm removing'

Kevin Merle, owner of Hopkinton-based New England Urban Lumber, specializes in salvaging diseased trees and repurposing them into furniture or wood slabs. The Ashland native was working in Houston when he began working with wood and sustainability.

"I never really had a background in chainsaws or any of this type of stuff, so it was really just learn as you go," Merle, 27, told the Daily News.

Kevin Merle, right, of New England Urban Lumber, and Matt Cuneo cut a 4-by-10-foot, 850-pound slab of beech tree with an Alaskan chainsaw mill, Oct. 9, 2023. The slabs will be used to make countertops and dining room tables.
Kevin Merle, right, of New England Urban Lumber, and Matt Cuneo cut a 4-by-10-foot, 850-pound slab of beech tree with an Alaskan chainsaw mill, Oct. 9, 2023. The slabs will be used to make countertops and dining room tables.

He said he likes to recycle and repurpose trees at his mill. So upon hearing about the removal of the Matarese Funeral Home beech tree, Merle decided he had to act.

"One of my friends called me and said, 'Hey, Kevin, I've got a huge tree that I'm removing. Can you take a look at it?'" Merle recalled. "I knew exactly what tree he was talking about. It's probably the biggest tree in the town. And so, I went and checked it out."

Merle said the tree was too big for his friend's equipment, so he used his own set-up to begin cutting the tree on-site.

"It was cool because people were driving by (and) it became like a community sort of moment," Merle said. "People were pulling in and neighbors were asking me 'Can I get a piece of this?'"

Matt Cuneo, left, and Kevin Merle sit on the trunk of a large beech tree that stood in the heart of downtown Ashland for nearly 200 years.
Matt Cuneo, left, and Kevin Merle sit on the trunk of a large beech tree that stood in the heart of downtown Ashland for nearly 200 years.

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Matarese, a retired teacher, was excited to see Merle, as she had not seen him since she had him as a grade-school student.

"It was pretty fascinating to see how planking is done... a lot of people came, and Kevin cut blocks for whoever stopped," Matarese said.

'When I opened up the log... I wanted her to have that moment'

Merle said the Matarese family will take some pieces of the tree to make new furniture or other items.

"It's becoming something beautiful in the end and we're actually going to use it," Merle said. "They (the Matareses) feel happy that something's going to happen to it."

Kevin Merle, right, of New England Urban Lumber in Hopkinton, and Matt Cuneo cut a 4-by-10-foot, 850-pound slab of beech tree with an Alaskan chainsaw mill, Oct. 9, 2023. The beech tree was taken down from Matarese Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Ashland. Its slabs will be made into countertops and dining room tables.
Kevin Merle, right, of New England Urban Lumber in Hopkinton, and Matt Cuneo cut a 4-by-10-foot, 850-pound slab of beech tree with an Alaskan chainsaw mill, Oct. 9, 2023. The beech tree was taken down from Matarese Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Ashland. Its slabs will be made into countertops and dining room tables.

Merle continued: "When I opened up the log for the first time, I had Mrs. Matarese look at it because I wanted her to have that moment. It's her tree, it's been her family tree for her whole life, and so she had that teary-eyed look which I'm used to because I always open up trees and I know how cool it is.

"A lot of people are shocked, especially with the size of it."

The tree cutting also got attention of the Ashland Historical Society, which wanted a slice of the tree to date it back to what was happening at the time of its origin.

Merle was cutting slabs this past week, with slabs weighing more than 800 pounds and measure 4-by-10 feet. Meanwhile, the Matareses will plant a new tree on the funeral home property.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Ashland native plans to turn downtown beech tree into furniture