What's a tree worth?

You can quantify the relative benefits of an individual tree, and project its future benefits as it grows through the years, with i-Tree Design:

i-Tree Design (beta) allows anyone to make a simple estimation of the benefits individual trees provide. With inputs of location, species, tree size and condition, users will get an understanding of the benefits that trees provide related to greenhouse gas mitigation, air quality improvements and storm water interception. With the added step of drawing a house or building footprint—and virtually "planting" a tree—trees' effects on building energy use can be evaluated.

This tool is intended to be a simple and accessible starting point for understanding individual trees' value to the homeowner and their community.

Using it is straightforward:

1. Enter a street address.
2. Select the common name of the tree species or genus.
3. Enter the size, indicated by DBH: diameter at breast height (5' off the ground).
4. Select the general health or condition of the tree, from "Excellent" to "Dead or Dying."

The results are returned quickly. Details are available from the different tabs.

The application requires Flash to be supported and enabled in your browser, so it won't work behind many corporate firewalls.

[goo.gl]

Related Content

Urban Forestry

Links

i-Tree Design benefit Calculator

Happy Arbor Day from Brooklyn's Trees

Many thanks to all the great Brooklyn photographers and tree-lovers who continue to contribute to the Flickr photo pool I started a few years ago.

Related Content

Urban Forestry page
Urban Forestry blog posts

Links

Brooklyn's Trees (Flickr photo pool)

Street Tree Walking Tour, Sunday 4/17

Update 2011-04-16: As nasty as the weather is as I update this on Saturday night, it will be beautiful tomorrow for the tour, windy, but temperatures reaching into the upper 50s and low 60s. Added a Google Map of the tour below.

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The Sustainable Flatbush Street Tree Walking Tour of April 2009. Photo: Sustainable Flatbush (Flickr)


The 4th Annual Sustainable Flatbush Street Tree Walking Tour will be Sunday, April 17, the day after the Plant Swap. (It's a busy weekend for us!) We're following the same route as past tours, so if you've only been able to enjoy our fall foliage in the past, come enjoy the spring blooms!

Once again tours leave from Sacred Vibes Apothecary at 11am and 12noon. Your tour guides will be Sam Bishop of Trees NY, neighbor and gardener Tracey Hohman, and me. On the tour, you can see:

• Acer platanoides, Norway Maple
• Aesculus hippocastanum, Horsechestnut
• Amelanchier, Serviceberry
• Betula nigra, River Birch
• Cercis canadensis, Redbud
• Cornus florida, Flowering Dogwood
• Cryptomeria japonica, Japanese Red Cedar
• Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgo
• Gleditsia triacanthos, Honey Locust
• Liquidambar styraciflua, Sweetgum
• Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Dawn Redwood
• Pinus strobus, White Pine
• Platanus x acerifolia, London Plane
• Pyrus calleryana, Flowering Pear, Callery Pear
• Quercus palustris, Pin Oak
• Quercus robur 'Fastigiata', Columnar English Oak
• Styphnolobium japonicum (Sophora japonica), Japanese Pagoda Tree, Scholar Tree
• Taxodium distichum, Bald Cycpress
• Tsuga canadensis, Eastern Hemlock
• Ulmus americana, American Elm

... and many more.

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

Local Leafin': Street Tree Walking Tour Sunday 10/24

Japanese Maple leaves (red), with Linden in the background (yellow), at the corner of Rugby Road and Cortelyou Road in Beverley Square West, Flatbush, Brooklyn, November 2007.


The Sustainable Flatbush Fall 2010 Street Tree Walking Tour will be this Sunday, October 24. Tours begin at 11am and 12noon. I'm proud to once again be one of your guides. Your other guide will be Sam Bishop, Director of Education of Trees NY. As in the past, tours will start at Sacred Vibes Apothecary, our other community partner. This is also listed as a NeighborWoods Month event.

After a dry summer, October brought ample rains just in time to salvage some fall foliage. Dogwoods, Locusts, and Ash Trees are showing strong color. The neighborhood should be at near-peak foliage conditions for the year for the tour.

On the tour, you can see:

• Acer platanoides, Norway Maple
• Aesculus hippocastanum, Horsechestnut
• Amelanchier, Serviceberry
• Betula nigra, River Birch
• Cercis canadensis, Redbud
• Cornus florida, Flowering Dogwood
• Cryptomeria japonica, Japanese Red Cedar
• Fraxinus americana, White Ash
• Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgo
• Gleditsia triacanthos, Honey Locust
• Liquidambar styraciflua, Sweetgum
• Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Dawn Redwood
• Pinus strobus, White Pine
• Platanus x acerifolia, London Plane
• Pyrus calleryana, Flowering Pear, Callery Pear
• Quercus palustris, Pin Oak
• Quercus robur 'Fastigiata', Columnar English Oak
• Sophora japonica, Japanese Pagoda Tree, Scholar Tree
• Tsuga canadensis, Eastern Hemlock
• Ulmus americana, American Elm

... and many more.

Map

Citizen Pruner Training Fall Schedule

The London Plane Tree in front of my house.


TreesNY's Citizen Pruner Tree Care Course is being offered in Brooklyn and Manhattan this season, covering basic tree biology, street tree identification and care. Upon successful completion of the final exam, participants receive a license that certifies them to legally prune trees owned by the City of New York. In New York City where there is limited money for tree maintenance but significant need, Citizen Pruners provide a tremendous benefit to our urban environment.

The twelve hour course consists of four weekly two-hour classes and four hours of hands-on experience in the field. Participants may miss up to one classroom session. The weekend field outing is mandatory. Specific dates vary by location. Locations and Dates for classes in the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island are still to be determined.

The course fee is $100 and includes a comprehensive manual and other materials. Course fee is non-refundable.You can register and pay online with Visa, Mastercard or Discover. To pay by check, make your check payable to Trees New York, and indicate the course location on the check

Not just for Tree-Huggers: Street Tree Tour Sunday, 5/2

RESCHEDULED: The Tree Tour has been rescheduled for the rain date of Sunday, May 2, same times and location.

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340 Argyle Road, Beverley Square West, April 2007


Sustainable Flatbush's 3rd Annual Spring Street Tree Walking Tour will be Sunday, May 2. I'm proud to once again be one of your guides.

Sustainable Flatbush Street Tree Walking Tour, Arbor Day 2009. That's me in the middle, next to the tree. Photo by Keka (Flickr)


Tours start at 11am and 12noon from Sacred Vibes Apothecary, 376 Argyle Road, between Cortelyou & Dorchester Roads, and loop through the historic neighborhoods of Beverley Square West and landmarked Prospect Park South. In addition to architectural beauty, the area boasts a rich variety of street trees, as well as ornamental trees and shrubs.


View Sustainable Flatbush Spring 2010 Street Tree Walking Tour in a larger map

On the tour, you can see:

• Acer platanoides, Norway Maple
• Aesculus hippocastanum, Horsechestnut
• Amelanchier, Serviceberry
• Betula nigra, River Birch
• Cercis canadensis, Redbud
• Cornus florida, Flowering Dogwood
• Cryptomeria japonica, Japanese Red Cedar
• Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgo
• Gleditsia triacanthos, Honey Locust
• Liquidambar styraciflua, Sweetgum
• Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Dawn Redwood
• Pinus strobus, White Pine
• Platanus x acerifolia, London Plane
• Pyrus calleryana, Flowering Pear, Callery Pear
• Quercus palustris, Pin Oak
• Quercus robur 'Fastigiata', Columnar English Oak
• Sophora japonica, Japanese Pagoda Tree, Scholar Tree
• Tsuga canadensis, Eastern Hemlock
• Ulmus americana, American Elm

... and many more.

The suggested donation for the tour is $5. From the Sustainable Flatbush Web site:

Put Down Roots: Million Trees NYC Tree Giveaway

Once again, MillionTreesNYC is offering free trees, first-come, first-served, at limited locations around the city. Trees must be planted in the ground, not a container or planter, within New York City.  They can be planted on private property, with permission of the property owner.

Here are some Brooklyn locations. Check their Tree Giveaway page for the latest updates and other locations and dates around NYC.

SOLD OUT - All 200 trees were claimed in 1/2 hour
Green Fort Green and Clinton Hill & FAB Alliance Giveaway
Saturday April 17th and Sunday April 18th 10 am – 3 pm
Putnam Triangle (Putnam Avenue & Fulton Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Grand Street Campus Giveaway
Saturday, May 1st and Sunday May 2nd 10 am – 4 pm
850 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211

April is MillionTreesNYC month. In addition to the tree giveaway, there are many other events and activities scheduled.

BK DECAY: Brooklyn Community Leaf Composting, 11/7&8, 11/14&15, & 11/21&22

Update 2009-11-21: In just 4 hours over 2 days, the Flatbush CommUNITY Garden diverted 1,740 lbs of leaves from landfill to compost which will enrich the Garden and more of Brooklyn's urban farms and gardens. As Director of the Urban Gardens and Farms Initiative of Sustainable Flatbush, I want to thank everyone who participated, whether by planning, volunteering, or dropping off leaves.

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Cherry Leaves, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, November 2008


Until 2007, NYC collected and composted residential leaves. For the second year, 20,000 tons of leaves will be treated like household garbage, added to the City’s already-overburdened waste stream. Sign the petition to restore leaf composting to NYC.

Stepping into the void left by the City's abandonment of leaf composting, more than a dozen Brooklyn community gardens, as well as gardens in other boroughs, have banded together in partnership with the GreenBridge Community Garden Alliance of Brooklyn Botanic Garden,  Council on the Environment of NYC, bk farmyards, Vokashi, and the Neighborhood Open Space Coalition,

Over the next three weekends, from 11am to 1pm, Brooklyn residents can bring leaves, free of trash, twigs and branches, in clear plastic or paper bags to one of the locations marked with a blue pin on this map. Not every garden is participating on all dates, so check the garden nearest you to see when you can drop-off in your neighborhood.

View larger map

Information will be available at many of the participating gardens about how to make compost in your own garden or apartment and about efforts to encourage the City to reinstate its municipal leaf collection and composting program.

The Flatbush CommUNITY Garden is participating on two dates: this Sunday, November 8, and Saturday, November 21. The drop-off will be at 1550 Albemarle Road, near Buckingham Road (East 16th Street). The Garden is a project of Sustainable Flatbush, part of the Urban Gardens & Farms initiative.

Trees for the Future, Blog Action Day 2009

Like Garden Rant, global warming and climate change is a recurring topic on this blog:

• It's too late, but it's not too late, is it?, 2008-01-16
• Gardening as if our lives depended on it, 2007-11-23
• Barbara Corcoran Hates the Earth, 2007-11-18
• The IPCC Report: Grief & Gardening #6, 2007-02-04
• Buying Indulgences: The Carbon Market, 2006-11-23
• The Bemidji Statement On Seventh Generation Guardianship, 2006-07-22
• NASA Earth Observatory Maps NYC's Heat Island, Block by Block, 2006-08-01

The impacts of climate change to urban areas, such as New York City, will be extreme. Today, a typical NYC summer has 15 days with temperatures over 90F, and 2 days over 100F. By the end of this century, even optimistic scenarios, in which we reduce emissions and greenhouse gases starting NOW, NYC will have 39 90F days, and 7 100F days. In a typical summer. Some summers will be worse. People will die. If we do nothing, it will be worse.

I've written a lot about more immediate benefits of city trees, such as reduced flooding, summer cooling, and improved air quality. There remain opportunities for nurturing our urban forests. Addressing climate change is one more reason to do so:

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.
- Benefits of NYC's Urban Forest, MillionTreesNYC

Planting trees is one thing a gardener can do that will outlive them. But what world will my tree grow into? And what are its chances for survival in that world? I must avoid trees that are already at the southern limit of their range in NYC; by the end of the century, the climate will have escaped them. Trees can't move fast enough to keep pace with the changes that are coming, that are already happening. They will need our help to survive.

I feel compelled to act as a guardian of my little area of the world, for as long as it, and I, last. Though I have always had, and expect I always will have, a troubled relationship with "community," perhaps there is one I can be part of which will "watch over a much larger area." It is my belief, my hope, that collectively we will create, and find in each other, that community.
- July 26, 2006: The Bemidji Statement On Seventh Generation Guardianship

The whole world is now our Ark, and we are its Noah. It's going to be a long ride.

Brooklyn Leaf Composting Project

A Brooklyn-wide effort to organize locally and restore leaf composting to Brooklyn! There's a brainstorming meeting TOMORROW, Saturday, October 3, at Ozzie's Cafe in Park Slope. See below for full details.

Please join your fellow community gardeners and our friends from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a brainstorming session that will focus on how we can expand and improve community leaf collection and recycling this fall.

As you know, the City will not be collecting leaves separately from regular trash, again, this fall. That means that it's up to us to find ways to take this rich source of garden nutrients out of the wastestream and bring it into our gardens, where it will do the most good.

Building on a very successful leaf collection and recycling project that was implemented at 6/15 Green garden last year, we hope to coordinate a Brooklyn-wide project that will enable local community gardens to be collection points for bagged leaves from their neighbors for use in the community gardens....and possibly even distributed back to the community in the future.

This is truly a win/win for everyone. Gardens will benefit from the addition of wonderful leaves that they can use as mulch or make into "brown gold" compost and residents will be able to recycle their leaves knowing that they will not be wasted clogging up our landfills.

Bring me the head of the Juniper Valley Tree-Killer

Over the weekend, 12 newly planted trees were destroyed at Juniper Valley Park in Queens. This incident marks the fourth case of tree damage this year at the park and a $2,500 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in this arborcide. It is believed that the trees were cut with an electric saw, either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. They were just planted in the park this past spring. Ten were cherry trees and two were oaks.
- Parks Asks the Community's Assistance in Nabbing Juniper Valley Park Tree Killer, Press Release, 2009-09-16

View Larger Map

Plant Trees in Ditmas Park West, Sunday, 4/26

I helped plant this Zelkova serrata, Japanese Zelkova, last year.


Part of the Arbor Day weekend activities in Flatbush, on Sunday you can help plant 9 trees in Ditmas Park West, one of the neighborhoods of Victorian Flatbush.

Meet at 10am at 458 Rugby Road [GMAP]. Bring your own tools and gloves, if you have them. Wear sturdy work boots, and prepare to get dirty! No rain is predicated through the weekend, so you won't have to deal with last year's mud. Possibly record highs - temperatures in the upper 80s - are predicted for Sunday, so wear your sunscreen and bring lots of water to stay hydrated.

At the meeting place, they will form work crews which will fan out to different locations. Some will plant trees, some will do cleanups. At 1pm, folks meet up for lunch.

[bit.ly] [TinyURL]

Related Content

2008 Ditmas Park West Tree Planting

Tree Giveaway this Saturday in Sunset Park

Maple Tree, 91 Marlborough Road, Prospect Park South, November 2006


Not much advance notice, but I just learned of this myself. The only Brooklyn giveaway date and location this season is this Saturday, October 18, in Sunset Park.

Via fellow blogger(s) in Sunset Park, Best View in Brooklyn:

1,250 FREE trees will be available for adoption by homeowners and community groups at select locations throughout the five boroughs this October. Trees will be distributed by New York Restoration Project (NYRP). Note – individuals and families are limited to adopting one tree per household; and all tree recipients are required to register their new tree at www.milliontreesnyc.org. Interested community groups that can plant and care for 5-10 trees should contact mcrowley@nyrp.org before October 18th.

For residents who do not have their own yard to plant a tree, information on volunteering, educational programming and contributing to MillionTreesNYC will also be available.

A variety of trees of different sizes, including flowering and medium and large canopy (shade) trees will be available. Our horticultural staff will be present to provide advice on which species tree is best for your home.
- Free Trees for NYC Homeowners and Community Groups in October (PDF only)

I'm curious to know what kinds of trees are available. I'm planning to plant two native trees in my backyard to replace the failing, weedy maples which I've had to get removed over the years. This giveaway conflicts with the Daffodil Project pickup, which is also this Saturday, in Grand Army Plaza.

Dates and Locations:

• Saturday, October 18th – 9 am to 2 pm
  St. George CENYC Greenmarket – Staten Island
  St. Mark’s and Hyatt
  
• Saturday, October 18th – 9 am to 2 pm
  Sunset Park CENYC Greenmarket – Brooklyn
  4th Ave. between 59th and 60th Streets
  
• Sunday, October 19th – 9 am to 2 pm
  92nd Street CENYC Greenmarket – Upper Manhattan
  1st Ave. and East 92nd Street
  
• Saturday, October 25th – 9 am to 2 pm (It’s My Park! Day)
  Atlas Park Greenmarket – Queens
  Cooper Ave at 80th Street
  
• Saturday, October 25th – 10 am to 3 pm (It’s My Park! Day)
  Crotona Park Fall Harvest Festival - Bronx
  Fulton Avenue and Crotona Park North
  

Related Posts

Urban Forestry

Links

MillionTreesNYC
New York Restoration Project

Ditmas Park West Tree Planting

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

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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. Over 25 years, Ditmas Park West has planted over 300 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 lot, 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]

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

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

Sunday, April 27: Sustainable Flatbush Street Tree Walking Tour

Updated 2008.04.21: Added Google Map.

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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

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

City Planning Commission Unanimously Approves Green Initiatives

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

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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