If you had been around Boston in 1983, you would have seen an amazing sight. Bill Geary, the newly appointed MDC commissioner, had sent a hulking mechanical street cleaner into the Storrow Drive Tunnel at Arlington Street. It was slowly edging its way along the curb, scouring the thick, impacted debris that had accumulated over what must have been decades and sucking it up into its maw.

That’s the way it’s been along the Esplanade since the park was established in 1910—years of neglect followed by a burst of energy. It’s not only neglect, but also years of regrettable dealings. First, Storrow Drive was turned into a speedway. There were the new cherry trees stuck in every which way with no plan for caring for them.  Then there was the recent tunnel repair, a missed opportunity that added nothing to the park’s usability or aesthetic. Meanwhile, former Governor Romney got a bee in his bonnet to change the park’s management agency from the Metropolitan District Commission to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The result? Scarce funds were spent on new signs and stationery instead of park maintenance. The budget for the park is still pitiful—about $400,000 to take care of three-plus miles of paths and greenery used by about three million people each year. With such constraints, the few DCR employees deployed to the park are lucky to be able to mow the grass once in time for the Fourth of July festivities at the Hatch Shell.

But it looks as if the pattern of action interrupted by foolishness has changed. The Esplanade Association or TEA, the advocacy, fund-raising and planning group formed by the Back Bay’s Jeryl Oristaglio and Beacon Hill’s Linda Cox, has turned 10. TEA has already raised funds, rebuilt docks, made plans for repairs to the granite landings, and survived a confrontation of many egos in replacing playing fields. With some experience under their belts, TEA’s leaders convened meetings this past winter and spring, inviting the public to envision a new standard for the park, with stewardship, not inattention, as the goal. The guide for going forward will be publicized this fall.

Meanwhile, TEA has started on a large project that is the scaffolding on which the future plans will hang.

It’s the trees.

This is rather like replacing pilings damaged by retreating groundwater. It’s necessary, expensive, and few will notice. In fact, at the “visioning” sessions this past spring, only two people volunteered for the horticulture group, while the other groups were comprised of dozens of participants.

But TEA says it is critical. So far the trees have been tended by a few park employees, volunteers and Beacon Hill resident Lawrence Coolidge, who for decades has pruned, uprooted, whacked and whittled at the water’s edge.

Recently the tree problem was more noticeable, since so many collapsed in the “microburst” that hit Boston on the first Sunday in June. The damage was severe partly because trees hadn’t been pruned for years. Now DCR has cleaned up most of the storm damage.

A couple of weeks ago Jeryl took an arborist, TEA’s volunteer coordinator and me on a slow drive over Esplanade paths with the doors of her van open so we could see the extent of the problem. The number of dead, top-heavy or diseased trees and dead limbs is extensive. Jeryl pointed out the tags pinned on 1,900 trees with the species name and a number. Volunteers recently finished this job, which is tied to a map and a database, so when there is a problem a worker will know which tree to tackle. The arborist was from a private tree-care company called in to assess the situation and give TEA a price—certain to be hefty—for removing trees past saving and bringing the rest up to health.

Many questions arise when a project like this is undertaken. How much will it cost, and how can the money to pay for it be raised? How does TEA get people interested in caring for the trees and shrubs—important, but not as noticeable as a new dock, fountain or garden? How does one responsibly get rid of invasives such as the desert false indigo and the phragmites that overtake other species, including the trees? How does the group reconcile modern practices with the historic plantings, which are less diverse than landscape architects would recommend today? How can you water trees, or any plantings for that matter, when the Esplanade has no water supply? (Can they siphon from the river?)

The project looked overwhelming. But Jeryl, who has just stepped down from the presidency of TEA, was determined and optimistic. She said the tree project is necessary, and she believes the money can be raised.

“If we can’t restore the Esplanade, how can we take care of other pressing issues,” she said. “It’s about having a plan in place and finding the resources.”