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July 22, 2009

New Trees in Bed Stuy

street-trees-0709.jpgThe Bed-Stuy blog's initial cynicism about Mayor Bloomberg's MillionTreesNYC program has been replaced by optimism: "Our stretch of Myrtle Avenue is already looking much better thanks to this program. So far I’ve spotted new Dawn Redwoods, Honey Locusts, English Oaks and Pin Oaks on Myrtle east of Classon. Soon after I took these photos the trees were suited up with Tree Gators. Hopefully Myrtle will become a beautiful tree-lined avenue in the future." Where else have people been noticing new trees popping up recently?




Posted by Brownstoner at 10:15 AM | Comments (32)
Categories: Bedford Stuyvesant, Streets

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Our landlord put some in on our corner, which was really nice of him -- except they decided to take apart the sidewalks to do so at 8AM on a Sunday morning. I felt like a real heel for calling 311 to complain when I discovered what they were doing.

Still, why 8am on a Sunday?

Posted by: Heather at July 22, 2009 10:23 AM

lazy heather you should be up and out of bed by 8am on a sunday.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 22, 2009 10:27 AM

Hey! I was up! I was dozing on the couch while my adorable moppet watched noggin and ate cheerios off the floor.

However, the pile driving on the sidewalk below us completely interrupted our valuable bonding time.

Posted by: Heather at July 22, 2009 10:29 AM

I'm seeing new trees popping up everywhere, actually.

I'm definitely noticing a concerted effort on the part of the city to plant trees, that's for sure.


Posted by: 11217 at July 22, 2009 10:36 AM

We have had a number of them appear, always without warning! Description of one such "stealth planting" here:

http://crazystable.squarespace.com/journal/2008/12/20/whoa-christmas-tree.html

However, our Caton Park area had a staunch advocate, the late and much-missed Herbert Richardson, who nagged and cajoled the city for years to get us more trees, so it is possible his dogged determination helped get us our new honey locusts and zelkovas. Our block association plans to dedicate one of the trees to him this coming year.

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at July 22, 2009 10:41 AM

there are new trees on 3rd ave between 9th and 14th, which also seemed to appear overnight.

Posted by: greatergowanus at July 22, 2009 10:46 AM

This may well be Blooomberg's finest legacy.

Posted by: BH76 at July 22, 2009 10:48 AM

i've called 311 several times for tree-planting, to no avail. how does one get the city to actually respond to tree requests?
any ideas welcome--thank you.

Posted by: balanchinelover at July 22, 2009 10:52 AM

i know im gonna get rocks thrown at me. but im not a fan of turning nyc into a friggin forest.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 22, 2009 10:54 AM

balanchinelover, the best way to get em is to contact one of the sponsors directly from what I understand. BNP Paribas is who you want to get in touch with and I think the department you would be looking for would be community relations. I helped plant trees for them and it was a lot of fun.

Posted by: brickoven at July 22, 2009 10:59 AM

Rob, by the time all of these trees reach maturity, you will be beyond caring. Trees are good for everyone, they, and other plants, are nature's air scrubbers, and in a city as polluted and over populated as ours, we need all the air scrubbing we can get. On top of that, they cool the streets in the summer, and if shady enough, can cool your apartment. Also good for the environment. Raking leaves is good exercise, provides protecting mulch and covering for other plants. The worst thing you can say about trees is that they can be struck by lightning, or blown over in a powerful storm, but that is not an everyday event.

I would love to live on a block with mature trees on both sides of the street. It's one of the beauties of a city. Sorry you don't see that.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at July 22, 2009 11:07 AM

Rob, trees are good for everyone, they, and other plants, are nature's air scrubbers, and in a city as polluted and over populated as ours, we need all the air scrubbing we can get. On top of that, they cool the streets in the summer, and if shady enough, can cool your apartment - also good for the environment. Raking leaves is good exercise, and leaves can be used as protecting mulch and covering for other plants. Great recycling there, too. The worst thing you can say about trees is that they can be struck by lightning, or blown over in a powerful storm, but that is not an every day event.

I would love to live on a block with mature trees on both sides of the street. It's one of the beauties of a city. Sorry you don't see that.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at July 22, 2009 11:08 AM

Here is the coupon link from BNP
www.milliontreesnyc.org/treecoupon

Posted by: brickoven at July 22, 2009 11:10 AM

MM you always fall for my anti-trees rant. hahaha. i guess i dont really have anything against trees, it's moreso the tree-huggers that bug me. i like the trees outside my window in the alleyway of my bedroom :)

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 22, 2009 11:12 AM

I like trees. I like Bed-Stuy. I'm okay with this.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 22, 2009 11:13 AM

Rob, I believe the folks who built the brownsones would agree with you about trees. Trees were viewed with suspicion in the old days. They were breeding grounds for insects and disease and hiding places for criminals.
If you had to plant a tree, you would "pollard" it in the Continetal fashion. Meaning you would chop its head off and allow it to grow in a very controled puff, not spreading out limbs all over the place. They still do this in France and the Low Countries.
Today our attitude towards trees is quite the opposite but it is good to know some still cling to the old ways.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at July 22, 2009 11:17 AM

Rob, Rob, you clearly get such joy from your inane posts. When I first moved to my neighborhood I attended an old timer block association, mainly made up of older women. Many of them were against trees being planted because of the attendent maintenance issues - leaves, roots pushing up sidewalks. For the same reason many of them had concreted their front and back yards. But I would be (vaguely) interested in a reasoned post for any other argument against planting trees. My enighbor doesn't want a tree in front of her house because she plants roses. Myself, I planted a tree which has grown immensely in seven years in my front yard. Such a pleasure to come home to.

Posted by: Putnamdenizen at July 22, 2009 11:18 AM

do you guys remember the tree in Poltergeist?

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 22, 2009 11:25 AM

Pollarding used to be done to provide a yearly crop of sticks and poles for various uses, basket-weaving, that sort of thing. Pollarding extends the life of a tree also.

Posted by: dittoburg at July 22, 2009 11:27 AM

denizen: Anglo-Saxons love trees. They like them growing no matter where, no matter what. Mediterranean folks think of trees as sources of timber and fruit. They may not think a big mangy London Plane tree growing from a concrete hole in the sidewalk is a thing of beauty.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at July 22, 2009 11:31 AM

I filled in the request form online for the City to plant trees outside my brownstone, and 6 months later (in April), they planted 4 on my janky block of Vanderbilt between Fulton and Atlantic!

Knowing that each residential dwelling must have at least one tree, I am glad that the 6 brownstones on my block now have a tree in front of each. We got a ginko, 2 different oaks, and an elm.

Posted by: bigappleblu at July 22, 2009 11:31 AM


"I would love to live on a block with mature trees on both sides of the street."

Take it from me - it's a very good thing. Although you do wind up doing a lot of sweeping of the property, and tree roots do sometimes cause problems. A small price to pay, and as MM says, it's a healthy activity.

Posted by: East New York at July 22, 2009 11:33 AM

Speaking of trees- Anyone know what's coming (or not) in the pits on Fulton between Clinton and Cambridge (or thereabouts)? When they redid the sidewalks they included the tree pits but alas, no trees.

Posted by: dokas at July 22, 2009 11:37 AM

Fully grown trees on both sides of the block - one of the reasons I love Ditmas Park in summer.

Posted by: sixyearsandcounting at July 22, 2009 11:45 AM

Mature trees are lovely, and I don't mind raking leaves. Only trouble is they have a habit of dropping limbs during storms, and these limbs can easily total a parked car or cave in part of your roof.

Posted by: Sparafucile at July 22, 2009 11:45 AM

Nothing like walking down a block under a canopy of trees. How awful NYC would be if there were no trees- really the concrete jungle.

Of course, rob if i saw someone standing around hugging a tree I promise, I would scrape them off with a metal spatula, knowing it would bring you some peace of mind :-)

Posted by: bxgrl at July 22, 2009 12:21 PM

> Fully grown trees on both sides of the block - one of the
> reasons I love Ditmas Park in summer.

I second that. I love the leafy canopy outside my windows.

I spend more than enough tree-free time during work hours in Midtown.

Posted by: DitmasSnark at July 22, 2009 12:42 PM

Does the City automatically provide tree gators? I've seen some on Myrtle that look like they are provided as a part of the Myrtle BID. The few new trees that have been planted on the south side of Fulton Street to not have tree gators. We had all that rain, which was helpful, but if it was normal hot summer, those trees would be in trouble...

Also, its not a good idea to fill tree pits of new trees with other plants in the first season or two. I sometimes see people plant all sorts of annuals and perenials, including morning glory which ends up growing up the newly planted tree and can inhibit its early growth. Well intentioned, but not the best for new trees.

Posted by: 1842 at July 22, 2009 1:05 PM

S. 5th between Berry and Bedford under the Williamsburg bridge has a row of new trees. Now that street doesn't seem quite the "rapist row" anymore... it's for eco-rapists now.

Posted by: Greenpointer at July 22, 2009 1:11 PM

The person responsible for Dept of Parks and Recreation tree plantings in Brooklyn is a wonderful chap named Ian Jack and can be reached at 718-760-6847. He prefers to do entire blocks as he can assign a contractor to do several plantings at once. So contact your neighbors and get their permission to plant and then give Ian a call and tell him you have several plantings on the same block and he will put you in the queue for future plantings.

Posted by: bklynrocks at July 22, 2009 1:44 PM

yes! there were well over 100 trees planted in McCarren park - fabulous. our developer planted 6 trees around our condo 3 scant years ago, and well, you'd have no way of knowing that if you looked at them now. they are so big already. think June's crazy rain pushed them along fast. one is right in front of my dining room window, and it's just so great to see it there.

i also planted 3 small trees in my backyard along with plants and flower boxes and have front flower boxes too. i am surrounded by trees and flowers and love it.

landscaping improves any building.

Posted by: wine lover at July 22, 2009 2:57 PM

They had to chop down all the trees in Mccarren in the 90's due to... I want to say west elm bug, but that isn't quite right? Something like that. There did used to be more trees.

Posted by: Heather at July 22, 2009 8:53 PM

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