Tag Archives: Streets

Sunday, April 27: Plant Trees in Ditmas Park West

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North side of Dorchester Road between Rugby and Marlborough Roads, Ditmas Park West
North side of Dorchester Road between Rugby and Marlborough Roads, Ditmas Park West

On Sunday, April 27, Arbor Day weekend, join the residents of the Victorian Flatbush neighborhood of Ditmas Park West to:

  • Plant Trees
  • Liberate Tree Pits
  • Beautify the Neighborhood

This is Ditmas Park West’s 14th Annual Arbor Day weekend tree planting. It is well-organized and coordinated with City resources such as Parks. Even if you don’t live in Ditmas Park West, this event can provide you with ideas for organizing and mobilizing your neighbors to clean up your streets, become stewards of street trees, and build community in the process.

Arbor Day 2008

To participate, meet at 458 Rugby Road at 9:30am to join a crew. Heavy excavation will be done with power equipment. You can bring your own gardening tools, as well. Work continues for about two hours, then everyone gets a chance to share a light lunch.

Southeast corner of Dorchester Road and Rugby Road, Ditmas Park West
Southeast corner of Dorchester Road and Rugby Road, Ditmas Park West

Related Posts

Wanna Fight Crime? Plant Trees, February 1, 2008

Hawthorne Street, Stewards of Street Trees

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Hawthorne Street, one of my blogging neighbors in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, the northeast reaches of greater Flatbush, posted some tips about how to watch over new street trees planted this Spring:

If you have a recently planted street tree in front of your house or building, maintenance is a key factor in ensuring that it continues to be healthy. The first year after planting is a critical time. Now that the danger of frost is dissipating, young trees need a lot of water. Watering should be done slowly, allowing the moisture to permeate the soil deeply. This allows the tree to develop a deep root system rather than depending on shallow roots.
– Caring for new street trees

They have additional info, and links to other online resources, so check ’em out!

Brooklyn Blogger Photo-Essay: Planting a Street Tree

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Google Alerts is so cool. I just added an alert for “Brooklyn” and “Tree”. And this popped up within about 20 minutes:

I had an amazing time planting the street tree. I never had the opportunity before, only knowing how to take care of windowsill gardens. It felt like I was part of something larger than myself. I really liked getting my hand dirty and working outside. I felt like I was bringing back the wolf by bringing back a tree.
– A tree grows in Brooklyn, art, life (no separation)

Angela’s post is illustrated by a sequence of photos showing the progress from empty pit to planted tree.

A Quality Housing requirement for the NYC Buildings Department is for the home owner to plant a street tree either in front of their new home or somewhere nearby (same block or neighborhood). That was my task this week. Along with my father, we planted our first street tree together. A Japanese Zelkovatree [Zelkova serrata], apparently impervious to the devastating longhorn beetle, was chosen in conjunction with the Parks Department.

Parks has a list of approved street tree species on their Web site. This is not a complete list of species that could be planted – “Superior cultivars may be substituted with the permission of the Agency” – but species susceptible to Asian-Longhorned Beetle (ALB, Anoplophora glabripennis) are specifically prohibited. These include Maples (Acer), Elms (Ulmus), Ashes (Fraxinus), and Hackberries (Celtis).

Related Posts

Asian-Longhorned Beetle
Urban Forestry

Links

Asian-Longhorned Beetle
Street Tree Species List
Trees & Greenstreets
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation

Tree Pits are not Dumpsters

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Commercial Trash Dumped in Tree Pit on Cortelyou Road
Commercial Trash Dumped in Tree Pit on Cortelyou Road

I had a great community experience of planting Daffodils in the tree pits along Cortelyou Road the previous two weekends. So I was especially disheartened to find this afternoon that someone placed their trash in one of the tree pits.

You can see from the photo that it’s mostly recycling. There’s a bundle of cardboard on the right. The blue bags contain plastic and metal recyclables. The black bag contained mixed garbage, including papers identifying the business whose trash this was.

I don’t want to identify them right now. I want to give them a chance to respond. If I have time, I’ll try calling them tomorrow. I emailed them earlier this evening:

This afternoon I noticed that the tree pit in front of your building on Cortelyou Road had several bags and bundles of recycling and garbage in it. I looked for any items that could identify where it came from. I found several pieces of paper from your business.

You may not know that your neighbors spent the past two weekends working on the tree pits along Cortelyou Road from the subway station to Coney island Avenue. We removed all the accumulated garbage, weeded the pits, and planted Daffodil bulbs, which will bloom next April.

Please dispose of your commercial trash properly, at curb-side, and not in the tree pit.

I called 311 to register a complaint. They didn’t even have a category for this. They said they would add it to their system, and to call back in a few days. I can’t believe that noone has ever complained about this kind of thing before. If I have time, I’ll try calling Parks, who have responsibility and authority for tree pits, and ask them what to do the next time this happens.

I removed the trash from the pit after I took my photos.

Welcome to the (Bloggy) Neighborhood

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Via Across the Park, one of my blogging neighbors, I just learned of a new blog on the block, Hawthorne Street:

Hello and welcome. Before creating any misconceptions, let me say up front that we’re going to be posting irregularly: anywhere from a couple of times a week to once every two months. Quality over quantity!
– Reading this blog

Even better, they’re tree huggers:

Since our block—and areas south and east of us—could use more trees, I passed info out to my neighbors on how to request a free tree in front of their houses. I made about 70 copies of the documents below and folded them into a flyer, which I placed in mailboxes of homes without trees on Fenimore, Hawthorne, Winthrop, and Parkside blocks from Flatbush to Nostrand Avenues.
– Getting more trees on your block

Sweet!

Note that, in addition to submitting the paper form, you can request a street tree online. You can request a free street tree, or you can plant your own. Tree planting season runs another month, until about December 15. After that, Spring will be the next opportunity for planting. For more information, see Request a Street Tree on the Parks Web site.

Factoids: NYC’s Street Trees and Stormwater Reduction

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I’ve been diving deep into the 72-page report on NYC’s street trees I wrote about a couple of days ago. The report was released in the Spring of this year to the public and addressed to Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Fiona Watt, Chief of Parks Forestry and Horticulture. The research documented in this report has informed many of the initiatives I’ve written about previously, including PlanNYC 2030, Parks’ Million Trees Initiative, DCP’s Yards Text Amendment, and so on.

The city spends $21,774,576 each year on its 584,036 living street trees (2005/2006 census), an average of $37.28 for each tree. The annual cost savings and other benefits to the city are $121,963,347, $208.83 per tree, for a Cost-Benefit ratio of $5.60 returned on every $1.00 invested. The second biggest contributor to this impressive %560 annual rate of return is stormwater runoff reductions.

  • Gallons of rainfall/stormwater intercepted each year by NYC’s street trees: 890,643,392
  • Annual cost savings to the city: $35,628,220 total, $61.00 per tree

Many older cities [including NYC] have combined sewer outflow [CSO] systems, and during large rain events excess runoff can mix with raw sewage. Rainfall interception by trees can reduce the magnitude of this problem during large storms. Trees are mini-reservoirs, controlling runoff at the source. [emphasis added] Healthy urban trees can reduce the amount of runoff and pollutant loading in receiving waters in three primary ways:

  • Leaves and branch surfaces intercept and store rainfall, thereby reducing runoff volumes and delaying the onset of peak flows.
  • Root growth and decomposition increase the capacity and rate of soil infiltration by rainfall and reduce overland flow.
  • Tree canopies reduce soil erosion and surface transport by diminishing the impact of raindrops on barren surfaces.

Much of this economic benefit of trees is determined by the total surface area of their leaves. Broad-leaved deciduous London Planetrees, of which there are many large specimens in NYC, account for %28.9 of the stormwater reduction provided by street trees.

Note that this report only address street trees, which comprise only about one-tenth of the 5.2 million trees in the city. However, street trees are adjacent to – and shelter – paved and other impervious surfaces which are the primary cause of surface runoff. Because of this, they provide much greater CSO reduction than trees on open ground such as parks and natural areas.

Related Posts

Preserving Livable Streets

Preserving Livable Streets: DCP’s Yards Text Amendment

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2008-04-30: Approved!
2007-11-15: Added link to DCP Zoning Glossary.

Illustration of Front Yard Planting from DCP’s proposed Yards Text Amendment online presentation
At tonight’s CB14 Public Hearing, this is sure to be one of the items on the agenda. On September 17, NYC’s Department of City Planning (DCP) released a proposal to amend zoning regulations to address, for the first time, the extent of paved and planted areas on private property:

The new regulations would prevent excessive paving of front yards by requiring that a minimum percentage of all front yards be landscaped. They would also prohibit steeply pitched driveways in front yards and encouraging rear yard garages to maximize plantings. Excessively tall fences and steps in front yards would also be prohibited. The zoning would clarify definitions of side and rear yards to provide predictability and ensure that all homes have adequate open spaces. Together with the Department’s initiative requiring the greening of commercial parking lots this package of regulations will enhance the attractiveness of neighborhood streets, mitigate storm water run-off and reduce surrounding temperatures while furthering Mayor Bloomberg’s goals for a greener, greater New York.
– Press Release

The Department of City Planning in proposing amendments to the Zoning Resolution relating to yard regulations for residential developments. Although the current regulations prescribe minimum requirements relating to location and size of yards, they generally do not deal with the amount of paving and planting in the yards [emphasis added]. In addition, the current regulations are in some cases unclear and do not deal with fences and steps.
– Yards Text Amendment, DCP

This will potentially provide huge collective benefits to individual homeowners, neighborhoods, and the city:

  • Improved streetscape livability, promoting community and economic sustainability
  • Reduced storm drainage and combined sewer outflow
  • Improved community health, eg: from reduced asthma rates
  • Reduced energy costs, especially for summer cooling and air conditioning

This proposal is a first step toward providing some protections. However, it can only work if the underlying zoning is appropriate. Most of the freestanding homes in what’s known as Victorian Flatbush are zoned R3-2, which permits semi-detached row houses, or R6, which is for 6-story townhouses with a continuous street wall. An R2X designation has been used in other down-zoning initiatives, would appropriately reflect the built environment, and provide even more protections if DCP’s proposed changes are approved.

Looking south down Westminster Road in Beverley Square West
Looking south down Westminster Road

Million Trees NYC outlines the economic, tangible, and intangible benefits of NYC’s urban forest:

  • Urban trees help offset climate change by capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide in their tissue, reducing energy used by buildings, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel based power plants. Our City’s trees store about 1.35 million tons of carbon valued at $24.9 million. In addition, our trees remove over 42,000 tons of carbon each year.
  • Urban trees capture rainfall on their leaves and branches and take up water, acting as natural stormwater capture and retention devices. Street trees intercept 890.6 million gallons of stormwater annually, or 1,525 gallons per tree on average. The total value of this benefit to New York City is over $35 million each year.
  • Trees remove dust and other pollutants from the air. In fact, one tree can remove 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, the equivalent of 11,000 miles of car emissions. Our trees remove about 2,200 tons of air pollution per year, valued at $10 million annually.
  • According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, urban forests reduce urban temperatures significantly by shading buildings and concrete and returning humidity to the air through evaporative cooling.
  • By using trees to modify temperatures, the amount of fossil fuels used for cooling and heating by homeowners and businesses is reduced. Our City’s street trees provide $27 million a year in energy savings.
  • New York City’s urban forest provides habitat – including food and shelter for many species of birds, insects, and other wildlife, as well as environmental education resources for New Yorkers of all ages.
  • Over the years the City has invested millions in its urban forest. Trees provide $5.60 in benefits for every dollar spent on tree planting and care.
  • A significant link exists between the value of a property and its proximity to parks, greenbelts, and other green spaces. Smart Money magazine indicated that consumers value a landscaped home up to 11.3 percent higher than its base price. Street trees provide $52 million each year in increased property values.
  • The greening of business districts increases community pride and positive perception of an area, drawing customers to the businesses.
  • There is growing evidence that trees help reduce air pollutants that can trigger asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Green spaces also encourage physical activity – a healthy habit for any New Yorker.

Looking south down Stratford Road in Beverley Square West
Stratford Road, East side, looking south from Slocum Place
Stratford Road, East side, looking South toward Slocum Place

To reach the goal of one million new trees planted in NYC over the next decade, 40% – 400,000 trees – will have to be planted on private property:

The City of New York will plant 60% of trees in parks and other public spaces. The other 40% will come from private organizations, homeowners, and community organizations.

  • Street Trees: 220,000
  • Parks: 280,000
  • Capital Projects and new Zoning Requirements: 100,000
  • Private Partners: 400,000

– About Million Trees NYC

We also need to preserve the existing urban forest, much of which is in private hands, and, with no legal protections, at risk. The proposed zoning amendments would provide much-needed protection in the form of restrictions and incentives.

East side of Rugby Rd, looking north from Church Av, in Caton Park
East side of Rugby Rd, looking north from Church Av, in Caton Park

I had sent this article to myself to write about it when it first appeared. Just getting around to it now. It got caught in a “draft”. (I’m sick today, I have an excuse.)

Lawns, manicured bushes and a riot of flowers have helped distinguish the borough’s streetscape, enhancing the livability of its communities and giving almost a county-in-the-city aura to many blocks.

However, in recent years, that trend has shifted. Front yards in many areas have been paved over, and blooms have been replaced by parking pads, as ever-increasing population density combined with an up-tick in the number of cars per family has made a guaranteed parking spot something of a holy grail, with portions of residential neighborhoods morphing into something akin to a concrete jungle.

[The Department of City Planning (DCP)] has proposed an amendment to the city’s zoning resolution that would require that a certain minimum percentage of all front yards be landscaped, based on the length of the property’s street frontage.
– Parking it here has many people angry, Flatbush Life, October 18, 2007

[goo.gl]

Related Posts

Victorian Flatbush at risk from inappropriate zoning, 2007-10-23
Carolina Silverbell: One of a Million, 2007-10-09
State of Flatbush/Midwood, 2007-10-05
How Much is a Street Tree Worth, 2007-04-09
Landscape and Politics in Brooklyn’s City Council District 40, 2007-02-14
NASA Maps NYC’s Heat Island, 2006-08-01

Links

DCP: Yards Text Amendment Home Page, Press Release, Full text (PDF, 26 pages), Online Slide Show (25 pages, PDF version available)
DCP: Green Initiatives (including the Yards Text Amendment)
DCP Zoning Glossary
Million Trees NYC

Resource: Cornell Urban Horticulture Institute

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A tip from a commenter on my post about the Liberty Elm Project led me to discover the Urban Horticulture Institute of the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University:

The Urban Horticulture Institute currently consists of two faculty, one technician and 10 graduate students.

Founded in 1980 with the explicit mission of improving the quality of urban life by enhancing the functions of plants within the urban ecosystem, the Institute program integrates plant stress physiology, horticultural science, plant ecology and soil science and applies them to three broad areas of inquiry. They are:

  • The selection, evaluation and propagation of superior plants with improved tolerance of biotic [eg: insects, pathogens] and abiotic [eg: heat, air pollution] stresses, and enhanced functional uses in the disturbed landscape.
  • Developing improved technologies for assessing and ameliorating site limitations to improve plant growth and development.
  • Developing improved transplant technologies to insure the successful establishment of plants in the urban environment.

In addition to training for landscape professionals, their outreach section has a lot of information for motivated non-professionals. In addition to DVDs, books and pre-printed materials, many of their publications for free online. These include:

The last selection describes the advantages of planting trees from bare-root stock, instead of container-brown or balled and burlapped (B&B). This is particularly interesting in light of a report in March that it costs over $1,000 to plant a tree in New York City:

Bare root trees are one-third to one-half less expensive than B&B trees. Because they are so much lighter and many more can fit on the bed of a truck, they are cheaper to ship. Planting a bare root tree costs virtually nothing when done by volunteers with shovels. The cost of planting a B&B tree, by contrast, is markedly higher because the sheer weight of the ball requires machinery and machinery operators to load the tree, unload it, and to get it in the ground.
– Creating the Urban Forest

Links

Urban Horticulture Institute , Department of Horticulture, Cornell University

Event, Sunday, May 20: PLG = Plants, Leaves, Green!

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Across the Park (ATP) announced today that residents and friends of Prospect Lefferts Gardens can get their green on next Sunday, May 20. The spruce up for Lincoln Road between Ocean and Flatbush Avenues is organized by Prospect Lefferts United for Services (PLUS). See their posting for details.

I was amused to see that the poster announces that the after party will be held at Meytex Lounge, whose facade was recently described as scary in New York Press. ATP goes on to note that it’s scheduled for an exterior sprucing up of its own.