BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 19, 2025
Rolland F. Perry, for whom Bangor City Forest is named, died Thursday at the age of 89. Perry was the city’s forester for 42 years and was responsible for planting many of the trees lining Bangor’s streets today. By the time he retired in 2006 when he was 70, he had planted 812,809 of them. His goal was 1 million. But Perry’s legacy has far outlived his career. Perry established tree nurseries to replace thousands of trees along residential streets. “Rolland has bestowed the city of Bangor with shady, mature tree-lined streets, as well as left his legacy behind in many of the city’s parks, cemeteries and municipal properties in the form of planted and pruned trees,” said Ben Arruda, the city’s current urban forestry manager.