Ditmas Park West Tree Planting

Updated 2008.04.29: Added link to Anne Pope's Sustainable Flatbush post and Flickr photo set.

---

This morning I helped, for the first time, to plant a street tree. It had rained overnight and was still raining when we started. Just one word to sum it all up:

MUD

Ditmas Park West is one of the neighborhoods of Victorian Flatbush. It's bounded by Cortelyou Road and Newkirk Avenue to the north and south, and Coney Island Avenue and the B/Q subway cut to the west and east. Today was DPW's 14th annual Arbor Day tree planting. Over the years, they've planted over 150 trees, averaging more than 10 trees each year.

About 25 people showed up this morning and fanned out to different locations. 6 or 7 trees got planted today. The crew of 10 or so I went with had two jobs: clear trash from a vacant lot and dig out a tree pit for a new tree to be planted.

The realities of urban street planting are not so idyllic as our vision of leafy green streets. First, we had to break through a few inches of concrete dumped over asphalt. Bob was handy with the ax.



Beneath all that, we had some not so bad, if compacted, clay.



Once the tree was delivered we measured the depth of our dig and compared it to the height of the root ball.



And kept digging until we got to the right level.



Then we rolled the tree into place ...

... filled in around the base, leveled, and stabilized the tree ...



... and began filling in and tamping down.



Once the tree was stable, we cut off the twine and removed burlap from the top of the ball. Roots got pulled out and spread out as we went along.




Meanwhile, in the adjacent vacant, our comrades had done an incredible job clearing trash and rubbish.



I look forward to future greening opportunities. I need some good work boots for next time.

Related Posts

Flickr photo set
Plant Trees in Ditmas Park West

Links

Ditmas Park West Tree Planting, Sustainable Flatbush
Many more photos from Anne Pope of Sustainable Flatbush

[where: 400 Stratford Road, Brooklyn, NY 11218]

Continue reading ...

Urban Trees and Social Marketing

Cherry Tree, 244 Argyle Road, Beverley Square West


Today's New York Times profiles Parks Urban Forester Arthur Simpson. Transplanted from the Western United States:

Mr. Simpson has been really surprised by only one aspect of New York City life, and that’s the unwelcome reception he sometimes get at the site of an imminent tree-planting. Sometimes the residents or homeowners are worried about their allergies (though the trees are intended to help alleviate asthma and allergy rates citywide); sometimes they’re worried that a branch will fall on their car (a call to 311 will procure a free pruning). Sometimes they’re worried about the extensive construction required to plant a tree in a patch of concrete.
- Big City: For Urban Tree Planters, Concrete Is the Easy Part, New York Times, April 21, 2008

For my non-NYC readers, 311 is the city-wide telephone portal for all city services and information. Street trees fall under the jurisdiction of the city's Department of Parks and Recreation.

It was only a year ago today, April 21, that the City announced MillionTreesNYC, a plan to plant one million new trees in NYC over the next ten years. Ancillary laws and regulations have yet to catch up. This has amplified inconsistencies between who has authority, and who has responsibility and liability, for this narrow strip of land that borders streets and private property.

As a tree advocate myself, I'm still surprised by the virulence of opposition to trees - indeed, to any kind of greening - I sometimes encounter. My local community board voted to oppose City Planning's Yards Text Amendment, which will prevent paving over front yards and define minimum open space requirements. I recently provided information to my neighborhood association about how to request a free street tree. One of my neighbors approached me after the meeting and asked me not to request a street tree in front of their house; they want to put in a driveway.

In a dense, urban environment, where every square foot of turf matters, conflicts inevitably arise over how to make the best use of the land. I believe that we can't afford to wall ourselves off, to pave over every square inch, to value, absolutely, individual property "rights" without regard for the common good. It is up to advocates to make the case for the collective benefits that street trees provide, and ensure that the costs and responsibilities are distributed equitably.

Related content

City Planning Commission Unanimously Approves Green Initiatives, April 2, 2008
Basic Research: The State of the Forest in New York City, November 12, 2007
Preserving Livable Streets: DCP's Yards Text Amendment, November 7, 2007
1M Trees in 10 Years, April 22, 2007

Links

New York Times, April 21, 2008:
Big City: For Urban Tree Planters, Concrete Is the Easy Part
City Room: Who Is Against Planting Trees?

Residents say block is overplanted, Daily News, April 22, 2008

MillionTreesNYC

Continue reading ...

OEM Tip of the Week: Plant a tree, reduce your flood risk

In recognition of Earth Day tomorrow, April 22, NYC's Office of Emergency Management's (OEM) Tip of the Week advises residents to plant trees:

Celebrate Earth Day this week by planting a tree. In addition to helping slow climate change and improve air quality, trees absorb stormwater, which helps to reduce flooding. Get more information about tree planting through the City's MillionTreesNYC project, which offers NYC residents free street trees and promotes urban forest expansion.

Related Posts

April is MillionTreesNYC Month, April 3, 2008
Factoids: NYC's Street Trees and Stormwater Reduction, November 15, 2007

Links

Learn more about flooding in NYC, NYC OEM
Learn more about the benefits of planting trees, NYC Parks & Recreation

Continue reading ...

Sunday, April 27: Sustainable Flatbush Street Tree Walking Tour

Updated 2008.04.21: Added Google Map.

---

Westminster Road, Beverley Square West, looking north from Cortelyou Road


On Sunday, April 27, in celebration of Arbor Day weekend and Spring in bloom, join Sustainable Flatbush and others as we take a walking tour of one of our neighborhood's greatest assets: our street trees.

Experience the neighborhood's amazing wealth of street trees — including some that are more than 100 years old!

Throughout the tour, your street tree guide will:

• Identify trees and their characteristics
  
• Share interesting facts
  
• Explore local tree history
  
• Discuss the many ways street trees benefit the environment
  
• Explain how to obtain and care for street trees
  

and much more!

Newly Planted Street Tree on Cortelyou Road


Credit: Keka Marzagao


WHEN:
Sunday, April 27, 2008, Arbor Day Weekend, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

LOCATION:
Tours start and finish at 1414 Cortelyou Rd, the office of NY State Assembly Members James Brennan and Rhoda Jacobs. The tour will loop through the neighborhoods of Beverley Square West and the landmarked Prospect Park South Historic District.

DIRECTIONS:
Take the Q train to Cortelyou Rd. and walk one block west (left), toward Marlborough Rd., after exiting the station.

SPECIAL DETAILS:
The tour is just about a mile in length and will take place rain or shine.
Please dress appropriately for the weather and the walk.


View Larger Map

Tree identification with Trees NY at Greening Flatbush


ABOUT SUSTAINABLE FLATBUSH: Sustainable Flatbush provides a neighborhood-based forum to discuss, promote and implement sustainability concepts in Brooklyn and beyond.

Hydrant and Tree, 297 Westminster Road, Beverley Square West

Related Posts

Factoids: Street Trees and Property Values, December 2, 2007
Factoids: NYC's Street Trees and Stormwater Reduction, November 15, 2007
Basic Research: The State of the Forest in New York City, November 12, 2007

Links

Street-Tree Walking Tour next Sunday!, Sustainable Flatbush
Trees NY

Continue reading ...

April is MillionTreesNYC Month

This is the street tree in front of our house. Update 2008.04.21: I recant. I think it's a London Plane Tree after all, not a Sycamore.


All the Spring activities are coming fast and furious now. Hard to keep up.

On April 1, Mayor Bloomberg declared April 2008 MillionTreesNYC Month:

During MillionTreesNYC Month in April 2008, all New Yorkers are encouraged to “think globally and plant locally” by joining the City’s historic undertaking to expand New York City’s urban forest by 20 percent. Throughout the month, Parks, NYRP, and MillionTreesNYC partners will host free Citywide events for the public, including Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 25) celebrations, tree education seminars, tree stewardship workshops, tree pruning instructional courses, and Urban Park Ranger tree identification hikes throughout the City. There will also be large-scale volunteer tree-planting events, including the planting of 20,000 trees in parks Citywide on Saturday, April 12 through New York Cares’ Hands on New York Day and Jet Blue and NYRP’s One Thing That’s Green Day.
- Press Release, April 1, 2008

Related Posts

News, NYC: 1M Trees in 10 Years, April 22, 2007
Carolina Silverbell: One of a Million, October 9, 2007

Links

Press Release, April 1, 2008
Events and Activities, MillionTreesNYC
New York Restoration Project

Continue reading ...

City Planning Commission Unanimously Approves Green Initiatives

Update: The City Council approved the Yards Text Amendment on April 30, 2008.

---

54 Stratford Road, Caton Park, Flatbush, Brooklyn. This is not a parking lot.


I learned yesterday that last week NYC's City Planning Commission unanimously approved two initiatives proposed last fall by the Department of City Planning.

I wrote last year about the Yards Text Amendment, which will prevent paving over front yards for parking, among other things. The other proposal mandates street trees - one for each 25 feet of lot frontage, and a minimum of one per lot - for new development and significant renovation. I've written several posts about street trees, though none about this specific DCP proposal.

These now go to the City Council.

246 (left) and 240 (center) Westminster Road, Beverley Square West, Flatbush, Brooklyn

Related Posts

Preserving Livable Streets: DCP's Yards Text Amendment, November 7, 2007
Basic Research: The State of the Forest in New York City, November 12, 2007
Factoids: NYC's Street Trees and Stormwater Reduction, November 15, 2007
Barbara Corcoran Hates the Earth, November 18, 2007
The Luminous Streets, November 25, 2007
Factoid: Street Trees and Property Values, December 2, 2007

Links

Residents square off about new driveway limits, NY Daily News, April 1, 2008

Continue reading ...

Hawthorne Street, Stewards of Street Trees

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!

Continue reading ...

Wanna Fight Crime? Plant Trees

Do street trees increase or decrease crime? In an urban setting, does increased vegetation interfere with police surveillance of criminal activity? Or does the increase in community "surveillance" from more people spending more time outdoors, because it's more pleasant, deter crime even more than police surveillance would?

According to Joseph Murray, biology instructor at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginia, it's the latter:

Police tend to believe more vegetation means less visibility. A study in 2001 looked at subsidized housing units with varying amounts of vegetation around them. The most calls to the police came from the building with the least vegetation. Those with more vegetation tended to draw residents who demanded benches and well-maintained playground equipment. Then, people were out there watching.
- Urban Forestry Has Crime Prevention Role, Patricia R. McCoy, Alliance for Community Trees, January 22, 2008

We need to internalize more sophisticated models of the impact greening and gardening can have on urban communities. It's much more than "neighborhood beautification"; at least, when it's done well, it is. People need green growing things around them to be healthy, to reduce stress, to connect with neighbors, and to feel positively about belonging where they live. Gardening builds and supports community resiliency to respond creatively and constructively to internal and external crises and pressures. Gardening builds community. As it should.

Continue reading ...

Brooklyn Blogger Photo-Essay: Planting a Street Tree

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

Continue reading ...

Factoid: Street Trees and Property Values

The street tree in front of our house


Two weeks ago, I wrote that stormwater runoff reduction was the "second biggest" contributor to the annual benefits New York City receives from its street trees. So what's the largest contributor? The annual increase in property values that accrues as trees grow:

Well-maintained trees increase the “curb appeal” of properties. Research comparing sales prices of residential properties with different numbers and sizes of trees suggests that people are willing to pay 3–7% more for properties with ample trees versus few or no trees. One of the most comprehensive studies on the influence of trees on residential property values was based on actual sales prices and found that each large front-yard tree was associated with about a 1% increase in sales price (Anderson and Cordell 1988). Depending on average home sale prices, the value of this benefit can contribute significantly to property tax revenues.
- NYC Municipal Forest Resource Analysis, Appendix D: Methodology, Property Value and Other Benefits [emphasis added]

The annual increase in property values attributable to NYC's street trees alone is estimated at $52,500,000 per year. The standing value of those trees is far greater, 50-100 times the annual figure, in the billions of dollars. And this study only examined street trees. These figures do not take into account the standing and ever-increasing value of trees, plants, and other landscaping on the properties themselves.

Take that, Barbara Corcoran.

Many benefits attributed to urban trees are difficult to translate into economic terms. Wildlife habitat, beautification, improved human health, privacy, shade that increases human comfort, sense of place, and well-being are difficult to price. However, the value of some of these benefits may be captured in the property values of the land on which trees stand. To estimate the value of these “other” intangible benefits, research that compares differences in sales prices of houses was used to estimate the contribution associated with trees. The difference in sales price reflects the willingness of buyers to pay for the benefits and costs associated with trees.
- NYC Municipal Forest Resource Analysis, Chapter 4: Benefits of New York's Municipal Trees

The calculation of annual aesthetic and other benefits is tied to a tree’s annual increase in leaf area. When a tree is actively growing, leaf area increases rapidly. At maturity, there may be no net increase in leaf area from year to year, thus there is little or no incremental annual aesthetic benefit for that year, although the cumulative benefit over the course of the entire life of the tree may be large. Since this report represents a 1-year snapshot of the street tree population, benefits reflect the increase in leaf area for each tree over the course of one year. As a result, a very young population of 100 callery pears
will have a greater annual aesthetic benefit than an equal number of mature planetrees. However, the cumulative aesthetic value of the planetrees would be much greater than that of the pear.

Related Posts

Barbara Corcoran Hates the Earth, November 18
Factoids: NYC's Street Trees and Stormwater Reduction, November 15
Basic Research: The State of the Forest in New York City, November 12
Preserving Livable Streets: DCP's Yards Text Amendment, November 7
How Much Is a Street Tree Really Worth?, April 9

Links

Million Trees NYC

Continue reading ...

Tree Pits are not Dumpsters

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.

Continue reading ...

Barbara Corcoran Hates the Earth

Welcome, Apartment Therapy readers! If this story interests you, be sure to learn more by checking out the related posts linked at the end of this article.

---

Barbara Corcoran thinks the owner of this "townhouse" [sic] should chop down this maple tree, pave over the front yard, and park cars there instead to increase their property values.


Queens Crap has the goods on this (Daily News columnist advocates paving). I learned about it through Brooklyn Junction (Barbara Corcoran Weighs In On Proposed Yard Change), who was alerted to it by commenter "dbs" on his post about the Yards Text Amendment. I've read some excellent follow-up by my neighbor, Crazy Stable (Get a cement truck over there fast) and Forgotten New York (Cuckoo Corcoran).

Trees increase the selling prices of residential properties. Paving over the front yard will decrease the resale value of a home. It will also incur other annual costs to the homeowner, such as energy costs.

As a realtor (not just any realtor, "New York's top realtor" the byline for her column asserts), Corcoran should know better. She should at least know better than to advise her readers out of ignorance. But then, it's her Manhattan-myopic company that, even after years of doing business in Brooklyn and the other "outer" boroughs, has no category for "house" in their listings. And ascribes the name "Ditmas Park" to most of Victorian Flatbush. Not to mention she should know something about the Department of City Planning.

Barbara Corcoran thinks this is a townhouse.

Oh, and as soon as possible they should chop down that pesky Cherry tree and pave over the front yard so they can park cars on it. She's sure it will increase the property value.

Q. My wife and I have lived in Queens for the past 10 years and we plan on staying in the area for about another five. We are noticing lately that all of our neighbors are paving their yards and then use the space to park their cars on.

My wife has spent many hours cultivating her plants and would like to keep the garden, but I think having a driveway will help us increase the price of the house when it comes time to sell. What do you think?

A. Hey, a flower garden might look pretty and keep your wife happy, but the space in front of your house is worth a hell of a lot more as a driveway. [emphasis added]

You should know that the city council of Queens [sic, it's the DCP proposal, the Yards Text Amendment] has just proposed a zoning change that would prohibit residents from paving their yards in some areas.

So get your wife on your side and get a cement truck over there fast.

- Ask Barbara, New York Daily News, November 8, 2007

What do you think? Leave a comment below. Even better, write Barbara herself.

Related Posts

Factoid: Street Trees and Property Values, December 2
The State of the Forest in New York City, November 12
Preserving Livable Streets: DCP's Yards Text Amendment, November 6
Victorian Flatbush at risk from inappropriate zoning, October 23
Another reason to loathe real estate brokers, April 6
NASA Earth Observatory Maps NYC's Heat Island, Block by Block, August 1, 2006

Links

Daily News columnist advocates paving, Queens Crap
Barbara Corcoran Weighs In On Proposed Yard Change, Brooklyn Junction
Yards Text Amendment, Brooklyn Junction
Get a cement truck over there fast, Crazy Stable
Cuckoo Corcoran, Forgotten New York

Footnotes

If you email Barbara Corcoran, you'll get this robo-response:

Thanks for sending a question to "Ask Barbara”. Look for Barbara’s answer to your question in her "Ask Barbara" column appearing every Friday in Your Home only in the Daily News. Look for more real estate questions and Barbara’s helpful answers at www.nydailynews.com.

Would you like to speak to Barbara directly? Simply reply to this message with your full name, town and daytime phone number. You may be invited to ask your question on Barbara’s new show!

The title of this post comes from the Dilbert comic of June 19. Dogbert has been hired as a green-washing consultant for the company. He advises the pointy-haired boss, "Stop eating, breathing, driving, defecating, and procreating. Sit in the dark and decompose on some garden seeds. Or do you admit you hate the Earth?" The boss responds, "A little." The cartoon was taken up by anti-environmental bloggers such as Moonbattery: "Thank you Dilbert, for attempting to rescue us from militant kooks who think the global warming hoax is real."

This is not Barbara Corcoran

Continue reading ...

Welcome to the (Bloggy) Neighborhood

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.

Continue reading ...

Factoids: NYC's Street Trees and Stormwater Reduction

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

Continue reading ...

Brooklyn's Trees, a new Flickr photo group

Welcome, Festival of the Trees visitors! Go see the photos in Brooklyn's Trees. If you like what you see, come back here and read about it, and check out my other posts on Urban Foresty and Trees in general.

---

Brooklyn's Trees is a Flickr photo pool I started to "share and celebrate Brooklyn's trees through photography." The response has been great, and the submissions are beautiful and diverse.






I've adapted a definition of "trees" from Festival of the Trees:

"Trees" are defined as any woody plant species that regularly exceed three meters in height; exceptions might include banana “trees” which are not woody plants. We are interested in trees in the concrete rather than in the abstract, so the "cloud trees" at the intersection of Ocean and Flatbush Avenues, for example, are out.

Any photographs of or about trees in Brooklyn are welcomed, including those on our streets, in our parks, gardens, and other public spaces, and on private property. Young trees, dead trees, shadows or reflections of trees are all in the spirit of this group. Photos should be "safe" as defined by Flickr.

Continue reading ...

Basic Research: The State of the Forest in New York City

Updated 2007.11.13: Added direct links to all resolutions of the full report.

---

Thanks to a recent post on Save Ridgewood Reservoir, I learned of the existence of a comprehensive report on NYC's street trees. This technical report was created by the Center for Urban Forest Research and addressed to Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe in April of this year. The report provides 72 pages of detailed, quantitative analysis of the state of NYC's urban forest.

Relative age distribution of all NYC street trees by borough


A find like this is a source of pleasure indescribable to someone who's not already a tree-hugging geek such as myself. More important, it provides much-needed reference information for review and discussion of policy and planning, such as the Million Trees initiative, and DCP's recent Yards Text Amendment proposal.

The city conducted a street tree census, Trees Count, in 2005-2006. The more accessible 12-page report [PDF] from that effort summarizes the numbers, types, sizes and conditions of street trees throughout NYC and by each borough. Here are some highlights for Brooklyn:

• Number of trees: 142,747
  
• Number of trees in 1995-1996 census: 112,400
  
• %Change over 10 years: 27%
  
• Most common street tree: London Plane, Platanus × hispanica (23.6%)
  
• The top five most common trees account for 58% of the street trees.
  
• Of Brooklyn Community Boards, CB14 tied with CB7 as having the highest percentage of tree canopy coverage.
  
• Of Brooklyn Community Boards, CB14 had the third smallest increase of street trees, only 10%, followed by CB16 at 7% and CB17 at 5%
  
• 38% of Brooklyn's street trees have "infrastructure conflicts," such as tree lights, choking wires and grates, and close paving.
  
• The annual economic benefit of Brooklyn's trees, considering property values, stormwater runoff, energy savings, air quality, and carbon sequestration, is $31,030,839.

Related posts

Center for Urban Forest Research
Preserving Livable Streets, November 7
Victorian Flatbush at risk from inappropriate zoning, October 23
Carolina Silverbell: One of a Million, October 9
State of Flatbush/Midwood, October 5
1M Trees in 10 Years, April 10
How Much is a Street Tree Worth, April 9
Landscape and Politics in Brooklyn's City Council District 40, February 14
NASA Maps NYC's Heat Island, August 1, 2006

Links

The full report - New York City, New York Municipal Forest Resource Analysis - is available as a PDF/Acrobat document from Parks and CUFR in different resolutions: smaller, lower resolution for online viewing, or larger, higher resolution to download for offline viewing or printing.

• Read it now from CUFR (1.4MB) or Parks (2.4MB)
  
• Save it for later from CUFR (13MB)
  

Trees Count (Parks)
Trees & Greenstreets (Parks)
Million Trees NYC
Yards Text Amendment (DCP)
Center for Urban Forest Research (CUFR)

Continue reading ...

Resource: Center for Urban Forest Research

Another resource I just discovered, the Center for Urban Forest Research (CUFR) is a project of the Pacific Southwest Research Station of the USDA Forest Service. Although based in California, CUFR's research and products are applicable to most urbanized environments.

Our research demonstrates new ways in which trees add value to communities. We convert our results into real dollars and cents in order to stimulate more investment in trees. Using our research results, we create new methods and strategies for managing and caring for community forests to help managers optimize the benefits and investment value of their community forest.
- Our Research, CUFR

Most of our research falls into five major categories: Benefits and Costs, Energy Conservation, Air Quality, Water Resources, and Fire. However, we are not limited to those five categories. Additional research focuses on Urban Forest Policy and Management, Tree Stewardship, Biometrics, Infrastructure Conflicts, and Urban-Wildland Interface.

Links

Center for Urban Forest Research
Pacific Southwest Research Station
USDA Forest Service

Continue reading ...

Preserving Livable Streets: DCP's Yards Text Amendment

Updated 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


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



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