Should the City's Million-Tree Plan Get Pruned?
Before we try to get thousands and thousands of new trees to grow in Brooklyn, we should take care of the ones we already have. That’s the gist of a discussion thread started by a poster on the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association Yahoo group who argues the city doesn’t trim existing trees in a timely…
Before we try to get thousands and thousands of new trees to grow in Brooklyn, we should take care of the ones we already have. That’s the gist of a discussion thread started by a poster on the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association Yahoo group who argues the city doesn’t trim existing trees in a timely enough fashion—a task it should be more on top of as the mayor’s ballyhooed plaNYC initiative to plant a million trees starts to take root. CB6 Chair Craig Hammerman weighs in on the discussion by saying there’s a really scary element to the million-tree plan:
It used to be that requests for tree plantings had to have the consent of the property owner or some responsible party at the planting location. Seems like the City doesn’t want to function that way anymore. Now anyone can request that a tree be planted anywhere, property owner be damned…Why force a tree on someone who may very well have a perfectly legitimate reason for not wanting one? As if the trees in this City didn’t have a hard enough time trying to survive a tough urban environment.
Think these are good points? Does the tree-planting initiative impinge on property owners’ rights, and should the city be doing more to take care of our existing trees?
Wow. Back to the Million Trees initiative for a moment.
Only 600,000 of the 1,000,000 trees can be planted on public property such as parks and street trees. The other 400,000 will have to be planted on private property. So some of us will have to get over our dendrophobia and get planting.
Most street trees only live 7 to 12 years. Many of the million trees being planted now will be dead in ten years. Unless people care for them. With care, street trees can live for decades.
12:15
“The city came through Boerum Hill earlier this year and trimmed all the street trees…they look great.”
There is a big difference between trimming the branches and trimming/maintaining the roots. I too live in Crown Heights with a huge tree in front of the 2-family home that I own. The City trims the brances every year but they haven’t ONCE taken any notes on my horribly heaved and pitted sidewalk. I paid to have the pitted part replaced but can’t replace the heaved part because that would involve trimming the roots before I can dig up repave. The City hasn’t been helpful in this regard.
Sandy
Added: I will try calling/emailing 311 but ask why should I have to? The City doesn’t wait for me to call to (over)charge me for prop taxes and water bills. But they trim my tree every year and can’t notice that the sidewalk looks like hell?!
Yes, Parks will schedule to come trim the tree roots if you coordinate with them and have a contractor who will break up and remove the sidewalk the day before. Of course, there is a waiting list. You can’t call today and Parks come two days later…unless you know someone 😉
Remember, Parks will not trim tree roots past a certain point in autumn. You can’t get them to come out to do the work now.
Thanks to the one who posted the webpage. I remember having visited it (GrammarLadyness and all…I actually use a computer not just the phone…311! I’m on e-mail too…Go, Granny. Go!). So yes, 1-, 2- AND 3-family homes are eligible for sidewalk repairs by the City. Keep in mind, as I mentioned above, if you request this service, the alacrity without they undertake the repairs will be based on a grade your sidewalk gets. The worse the damage/sidewalk heaving, the higher your score and, with luck, the faster you’ll get the new sidewalk poured.
By the way, the only time I’ve seen the guys out with the cherry-picker pruning trees on our surrounding blocks has been to remove branches that might block street lights spread pattern. There are some massive dead branches hanging on as well as lots of broken branches and sticks caught and tangled in crotches.
FG/TGL
12:47PM you’re totally correct… the city responds quickly when your contractor calls to arrange having the tree roots planed so that they can replace/repair the sidewalk.
I love how 10:50 explains how his/her sidewalk was repaired and people call him/her a liar basically. He/she posts the program and STILL people say it’s not true.
IT”S TRUE!
If the sidewalk is damaged by a city tree – city will repair it and pay for it. Part of the Trees & Sidewalk program. If repairs are of a neccessity from something else – homeowner pays.
sidewalks are paid for by homeowners.
I mean, there is such a thing as private sidewalks. But not in the city — not what we’re talking about.
And of course the city repairs. All the time. It’s just that sidewalks last a long time and they often get replaced after city work to city pipes underneath. I’ve had the sidewalk repaired 3x in 6 years that way.
there are no such things are private sidewalks