Emerald Ash Borer Discovered in Prospect Park

Terrible news.

Until this announcement, Agrilus planipennis, emerald ash borer, or EAB for short, had been found throughout New York state, but the locations closest to NYC were in Westchester County. This is quite a leap. One of the ways invasive forest pests get spread is through moving firewood. I wonder if that was the case here.

I live 1/2 mile south of Prospect Park. I am going to visit the ash trees in my neighborhood. They may not be here next year.


Press release from Prospect Park Alliance, 2017-10-27:

Today, the New York State Departments of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) and Environmental Conservation (DEC) confirmed the first-ever discovery of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in New York City in Prospect Park. Of an initial survey of 10 suspected trees in Prospect Park by Prospect Park Alliance—the non-profit that cares for the Park in partnership with the City, three were confirmed to be infested by this invasive pest by a Cornell University researcher.

Mulchfest 2011: Recycle Those Trees!

The giant tree shredder in action at last year's Mulchfest at Park Circle in Prospect Park.


It's tree recycling season in New York City. Residents can have their trees recycled into mulch for the City's parks and gardens. Note that, although recycling pickup is still suspended after the post-Christmas blizzard, you can leave trees curbside for recycling pickup.

• Remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel and tree-stands from your tree.
• Leave your tree unwrapped. Don't put it in a plastic bag.
• Leave trees curbside starting Monday, January 3 for recycling pickup, OR
• Bring your tree 10am-2pm Saturday, January 8th or Sunday, January 9th to one of 70 locations citywide.
  

Residents can also pick up free mulch at designated chipping locations.

Brooklyn Locations

This year's Mulchfest locations for Brooklyn are almost the same as last year's. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are on-site chipping locations.

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Location	Address
The Amazing Garden*	Columbia Street at Carroll Street	Chipping
Cobble Hill Park*	Verandah Place & Clinton Street	Chipping
Coffey Park	Dwight Street & Verona Street	Drop-off only
Fort Greene Park*	Washington Pk. & Willoughby Avenue	Chipping
Green-Wood Cemetery	25th Street & 4th Avenue	Drop-off only
Hattie Carthan Garden*	Across from Von King Park: Lafayette Avenue & Clifton Place	Chipping
Lincoln Terrace Park	Buffalo Avenue between East New York Avenue & Eastern Parkway	Drop-off only
Maria Hernandez Park	Knickerbocker Avenue & Suydam Street	Drop-off only
Marine Park*	Avenue U & East 33rd Street	Chipping
McCarren Park*	Driggs Avenue & Lorimer Street	Chipping
McGolrick Park	Monitor Street & Driggs Avenue	Drop-off only
Owl's Head Park*	Colonial Road & 68th Street	Chipping
Prospect Heights Community Garden	252-256 St. Marks Avenue	Drop-off only
Prospect Park*	Third Street at Prospect Park West	Chipping
Prospect Park Circle*	Parkside Avenue & Prospect Park Southwest	Chipping
Sunset Park	44th Street & 6th Avenue	Drop-off only

Map

View Brooklyn MulchFest 2011 in a larger map

[goo.gl]

Related Content

Mulchfest posts:

• 2010
• 2009
• 2008
• 2007

Links

Mulchfest, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
MillionTreesNYC
Partnerships for Parks
Prospect Park Alliance

Dad's Dogwood

The Dogwood which my family sponsored, and I helped to plant, outside the 3rd Street Playground in Brooklyn's Prospect Park.


My father's birthday was November 2. He would have been 79. He died almost two years ago, early in the morning of December 1, 2008. I've been going back over what I wrote about his death. But the best thing to read, to get a sense of who he was, is in his own words: How Old Will I Be?

This morning, Blog Widow and I helped plant a tree in his memory in Prospect Park. The Prospect Park Alliance Commemorative Giving program provides opportunities to sponsor an existing tree or plant a new tree. There are no plaques or signs on the trees themselves or in the park; their Web site provides an online register, indexed by commemoration name, of the sponsored trees, their locations, and the season they were planted, going back to 1983. My father was born and raised in Brooklyn, so this seemed an appropriate way for the family to remember him.

My Dad's favorite tree was the native Dogwood, Cornus florida, so that's what the family selected to commemorate him. Luis Lemus, the Prospect Park arborist who coordinated this morning's planting, told me he purchased it from a nursery in Pennsylvania. Just three days ago it was in the ground. And now it is again. Luis was joined by his Parks colleagues, Eric and Jose. The three-man crew made quick work of planting. It was all over in a little more than a half-hour.

The location is lovely, just outside the 3rd Street Playground, behind Litchfield Villa. Prospect Park lost hundreds of trees over the past year, in a winter storm, and this summer's tornado-macroburst storm. A few large trees were taken down in this location, opening up the canopy. Countless thousands of park visitors, a few of whom we met and spoke with during the planting, will enjoy this tree for decades to come.

Slideshow

Mulchfest 2010: NYC Recycles Trees

Updated 2009-01-05: Added a map of Brooklyn Mulchfest locations.

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Park Circle Mulchfest 2009


It's tree recycling season in New York City. Residents can have their trees recycled into mulch for the City's parks and gardens:

• Remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel and tree-stands from your tree.
• Leave your tree unwrapped. Don't put it in a plastic bag.
• Leave trees curbside from Monday, January 4, through Friday, January 15, for recycling pickup, OR
• Bring your tree 10am-2pm Saturday, January 9th or Sunday, January 10th to one of over 80 locations citywide.
  

Residents can also pick up free mulch at designated chipping locations. Volunteers from Sustainable Flatbush, including your host, will be helping out at the Park Circle location of Prospect Park.

Map

View Brooklyn MulchFest 2010 in a larger map

In addition, Brooklyn residents are invited to drop off their Christmas trees at Green-Wood Cemetery for mulching, daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Jan. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Master composters from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden will be on hand to discuss the benefits of using wood-chip mulch. Free wood chips will be available in exchange for those who bring their trees. Sponsored by the Green-Wood Cemetery and Brooklyn Botanic Garden; Green-Wood Cemetery, Fifth Avenue, at 25th Street, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, (718) 768-7300; free.

[bit.ly]

Related Content

Mulchfest posts

Links

Parks: MulchFest

Parks Press Release, 2010-01-11t

Record numbers at Mulchfest 2009!

Brooklyn Gothic


The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) reports that Mulchfest 2009 was a big success, bringing in many more trees than last year. And Brooklyn, as usual, rocked the house:

MulchFest 2009 brought 17,083 trees from around the city - a 30 percent increase from last year. New Yorkers from Brooklyn brought out the most trees of any borough at 7,325, followed closely [not that closely!] by Manhattan's 5,820. Queens' residents brought out 1,736 Christmas trees. The Bronx chipped 920 trees while 457 were mulched at the event on Staten Island.

- Parks And New Yorkers Get Chipper For Mulchfest 2009, Press Release, Parks, 2009-01-12

I worked with the crew from Good Shepherd Services, pictured above, to distribute mulch along the eroded horse paths in Park Circle during Mulchfest 2009. There were LOTS of volunteers on hand during the day to handle the bigger workload.

This year, Parks & Recreation designated 89 recycling sites to accept trees throughout the five boroughs on Saturday, January 10th and Sunday, January 11th between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. At many of the tree drop-off locations, chippers were on hand and residents could take home mulch for their own gardens and plants. The Department of Sanitation will also be making curbside tree collections and transporting them to recycling sites from Monday, January 5rd through Friday, January 16th. Last year, more than 173,000 Christmas trees were collected and recycled by the City - more than 13,000 through MulchFest.

Related Content

Park Circle Mulchfest 2009
Mulchfest 2009

Park Circle Mulchfest 2009

Slideshow of my photos from Day 1 of Mulchfest 2009 at Park Circle in Prospect Park.



Gotta crash now! More info later.

Related Content

Mulchfest 2009

A Picnic at Prospect Park (the Brooklyn Blogade)

The July 2008 Brooklyn Blogade was a picnic at Prospect Park this past Sunday. Mother Nature smiled upon us, as thunderstorms bracketed, but did not interrupt, the picnic proper.

We did, however, get delayed in undertaking a walking tour of Prospect Park, guided by my neighbor Brenda Becker, whose Year in the Park was recently highlighted in the New York Times. While we waited out the rains, we sheltered in the Music Pagoda.

The Tour

At the Dongan oak Monument


Battle Pass


Sullivan Hill


Because we set out 45 minutes later than planned, we had to cut short our tour. But we did make it to the top of the Ravine.

Rustic Shelter


Rock Arch Bridge


Ambergill Falls.

The Picnic

Our hosts, Dave Kenny (Dope on the Slope) and Brenda, organized an awesome spread. Everyone contributed something.

The Shout-out

Nay-chuh

We enjoyed some of the idyllic ideal envisioned by the Park's creators, Olmsted in particular. Mostly insects, but some other orders, as well. There were also lots of chipmunks about, but I didn't get any good shots of them.

The Nethermead


Halysidota harrisii, Sycamore Tussock Moth, Caterpillar. Thanks to Mthew (Flickr) for the id!


Dog-Day Cicada


Thanks to Dave for the id of this Xenox tigrinus, the Tiger Bee Fly.


Catbird


Crayfish

Related Content

My Flickr photo set
Blogade posts

Links

Brit in Brooklyn
Dope on the Slope
Luna Park Gazette
Prospect: A Year in the Park
Self-Absorbed Boomer

Brooklyn Blogade this Sunday, July 27, in Prospect Park

Music Pagoda, Prospect Park, Brooklyn


The July 2008 Brooklyn Blogade is sponsored by Brenda of Prospect: A Year in the Park and Dave Kenny of Dope on the Slope. The site is Prospect Park:

Brenda of Prospect: A Year in the Park and I are co-hosting this month's Brooklyn Blogade Roadshow, which will be held in Prospect Park near the Music Pagoda (map). Brenda will be offering a guided walking tour of the park prior to the picnic (meeting point TBA). Learn why the park serves as an "oasis for the city soul," the title of a recent New York Times article describing Brenda's labor of love.

There is no charge for the event, although we are soliciting volunteers to bring food (see below) and will be passing the hat to defray expenses.

Come share Brooklyn's backyard with your fellow bloggers. Friends and family welcome, but please let us know you're coming so we can gauge how much jello salad to bring.

Please RSVP at blogade.rsvp@gmail.com.

- July Blogade: Prospect Park Picnic, Dope on the Slope

What: Brooklyn Blogade Picnic In Prospect Park
When: Sunday, July 27th
Time: 12:00 noon - 3:00pm (walking tour @ 11:00 am)
Who: bloggers, prospective bloggers, their family and friends

Related Posts

Blogade

Links

July Blogade: Prospect Park Picnic, Dope on the Slope

A Night at the Opera

This Friday I'll be attending the first public concert in Prospect Park: the Metropolitan Opera, Live in Prospect Park:

Two of opera’s biggest stars, soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna, will perform together on the Long Meadow Ballfields on June 20 at 8 p.m., together with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. This year's Prospect Park concert is anticipated to be one of the Metropolitan Opera’s largest outdoor concerts in company history.

The Met's summertime tradition of free outdoor performances returns with a special one-night only event in Prospect Park. Celebrate the start of summer with two of opera's biggest stars - Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna- singing popular arias and duets. Ion Marin conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus in the operatic event of the summer
- Met Summer Concert: Live in Prospect Park

They really do mean the start of summer. The Summer Solstice is this Friday, June 20, 23:59 UTC, 7:59pm Eastern Daylight Time, 1 minute before the official start of the concert.

It looks to be an impressive setup. Neighbor and fellow blogger and gardener Brenda caught the construction in progress:

On Monday morning, the Long Meadow was a hive of construction activity. Flat-bed trucks, tractors, and dozens of guys swarmed over the turf for an Opera Barn-Raising of sorts: Turns out this Friday's concert featuring husband-and-wife team Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna will be a real blowout, with jumbo video screens and a "larger than normal stage."

The performance will be broadcast live on WQXR-FM (96.3 FM), and streamed live on the Met’s website, www.metopera.org.

The married star couple of Gheorghiu and Alagna will sing popular arias and duets by Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Massenet, and others, conducted by Ion Marin. Gheorghiu and Alagna will perform on a larger-than-normal stage, surrounded by six jumbo video screens that will be strategically placed throughout the area to maximize the viewing experience.

Links

Prospect Park
Metropolitan Opera

Brooklyn Pride, Tomorrow, June 14

Workin it, Brooklyn Pride 2006


Tomorrow, Saturday, June 14, the Brooklyn Pride Festival runs from 9am to 4pm along Prospect Park West from 15th Street (Bartel-Pritchard Circle) to 9th Street. The night march kicks off at 9pm from Bartel-Pritchard Circle, goes down 15th Street, then heads north on 7th Avenue through Park Slope.

Celebrate Brooklyn's Gay and Lesbian community at this fun, free, day-long festival. Join us for New York City’s second-largest Gay and Lesbian Pride event of the season. The Festival takes place at Bartel- Pritchard Circle and along Prospect Park West from 15th Street to 9th Street.

Brooklyn Pride: (718) 928-3320

Snake in the Garden, Prospect Park

These are the cherries just inside the entrance to Prospect Park at Grand Army Plaza. There is a snake in this garden.



This is a snake. It's not the snake.



Calvert Vaux designed the snake urns which flank the Grand Army Plaza entrances.




The cherries were peaking today. All these petals will be on the ground in a few days.



The snake is visible at the far right of the photo at the top. Here's a close-up. This guy was tearing branches off the cherry trees.

Cherry Vandal



Why would someone do this? Oh, so he could give them to his lady friend.



What a classy couple.

Related posts

Flickr photo set

Links

Calvert Vaux, Wikipedia
You can have your very own Calvert Vaux Snake Urn for a modest $11,000.

Park Circle Mulchfest 2008: Sunday, January 6

219 trees were chipped at this location on Saturday, 564 on Sunday. The two-day total was 783. Not bad for the first time at this location.

I left Saturday about 12:45pm, so I didn't get to see how the rest of the day went. When I arrived Sunday morning, there was already a full corral of trees waiting to be chipped. I don't know how many of them were left over from Saturday. It's likely that many of them were dropped off overnight.


There was a much bigger turnout of volunteers today than yesterday. It took a while for everyone to get signed in this morning.


It's a good thing we had all the volunteers on hand. There were several large truckloads delivered during the day.



As expected, many more people brought their trees today rather than yesterday. There was a pretty regular stream of arrivals. Most of the folks brought their trees by car, but they also walked, as this couple did, wheeled their trees in laundry and shopping baskets, and even biked them in.


The chipper didn't operate constantly all day. We'd build up a large batch of trees, then the Parks staff would crank up the chipper and polish off the pile quickly. When the timing was right, and the chipper was active, folks dropping off their tree got to watch their very own tree getting chipped.


In the interest of photos of garden bloggers, here's an action shot of me bringing a tree from curbside to a Parks pickup truck. It's not in my garden, but it's somewhat gardening-related. Several of the Parks staff and some of the volunteers addressed me as "Santa".




Guardian of the Tools

Related Posts

My Mulchfest posts
Park Circle Mulchest 2008 [Flickr set]

Links

Mulchfest 2008, Parks

Park Circle Mulchfest 2008: Saturday, January 5

Update 2008.01.06: I've added a post with photos from today.

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Trees check in, they don't check out.

Today I volunteered for the city-wide Mulchfest at the Park Circle location. I had a great time, and I'm going back tomorrow.

The 3rd Street entrance to Prospect Park has been the focus of past years, and it was this year as well. By 11am, we heard that they had already handled over 300 trees. All the media were there, as well as the Parks Commissioner.

This is the first year that chipping is being done on-site at Park Circle. It was slow to start at 10am, but the pace picked up during the morning, and by the time I left around 12:30pm, I estimate at least 200 trees had been chipped and shredded, with more arriving every few minutes. Parks trucks went out with staff and volunteers to cruise the streets in the area for trees left for curbside pickup. They brought those back to park Circle for chipping. That was the source for most of the trees, though we had several drop-offs as well.

Because today was Three Kings Day, many people in the area of Park Circle had not yet taken down their trees. Tomorrow should be even busier.



The chipper empties into the back of a specialized dump-van/track. A couple of times during the day, the truck backs up and dumps out a huge pile of mulched Christmas trees.



The mulch is available for residents to come by and pick up. I got four big bags of it to use in my backyard. Parks staff and volunteers also moved the mulch to mulch trees around Park Circle. We'll be doing more of that tomorrow, as well.



Two of the volunteers at Park Circle were from the radio station Hot97. They sent a small crew over from 3rd Street to Park Circle. I think they interviewed everyone there, including me. So sometime in the next week there will be a very brief (about 10 seconds) video of me on their Web site.

Thank You Very Mulch!

Related Posts

My Mulchfest posts
Park Circle Mulchest 2008 [Flickr set]

Links

Mulchfest 2008, Parks
HOT 97 at Mulchfest 2008