Requesting a Street Tree
Has anyone gone through the process of requesting the parks department plant a street tree in front of their home? Does it work? Is it annoying? Should I just do it myself and pay for it? We just moved into our home, and there are a lack of trees on our block in South Slope….
Has anyone gone through the process of requesting the parks department plant a street tree in front of their home? Does it work? Is it annoying? Should I just do it myself and pay for it? We just moved into our home, and there are a lack of trees on our block in South Slope. Would love to change that…
You can try the following options:
1. Cheapest and longest: just call 311 and they will process a request. I guess you will go out in about 2 years and see some guys digging on your sidewalk and you will scream what the heck yo doing.
2. A litle faster but free as well. Request thru your community board.
3. Get a permit and get your tree planted on your own and get a signoff from parks department as well. Note: Tree ppermits are only issued for 6 months out of 12 thru the year for spring planting and fall planting. Following is a link to the DPR site for tree planting permits:
Paste on the following link for your tree request or permit request and planting guidelines as well:
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_permits_and_applications/forestry_permits.html
Thanks all. I’ve put the request into the Park Dept. I’d also like to reach out to my community board, will have to figure out who that is exactly.
Nominating the whole block would be great! I wonder if my new neighbors would like me doing that or not…
Stargazer, I second 1910. Please don’t plant ivy — it’s an invasive plant and horrible for trees. It spreads and grows up the tree and it’s unkillable. Let your new tree have a couple of years to establish itself. Mulch it with chopped up leaves or old Christmas tree branches. Keep the mulch away from the base of the tree though — just mulch the area around the edge of the pit. Mulch builds, and builds up, the soil. When your tree is well established, consider planting some shade annuals around the edges — there are lots of choices, impatiens or pansies are inexpensive and look pretty. Or tuberous begonias. Anything but ivy.
try the community board.
they are the fastest route.
the parks dept. usually plants trees
according to the Community Board
recommendations.
On the online application – what is the difference btw Park Tree & Street Tree?
Thanks
What 1910 said. MillionTreesNYC is speeding up the process across the city.
Have you called your community board office and asked for their assistance?
For frame of reference my company charges 2k for the whole street tree kit and kaboodle. We get the permit, plant the tree and put in the cobble stones as per parks and DOT recommendations. You can also call Dragonetti- they might be a tad cheaper. I think they have the city contract for most areas of the city.
However, it really shouldn’t take too long to do it yourself via Central Forestry- and that’s the way I would do it if I was doing it for my own home. Tree planting only has two seasons a year, and last I checked on the free service by the city, they were only 1 or 2 seasons from each request- not long at all. They are pretty nice over there as well. If you put your request in and don’t hear for a while, call Evelyn in the Forestry office. It always seems like the kind of give a crap.
Stargazer – Check with the city before adding more soil or plantings. Doing either can actually smother the tree’s root system. When they put in my tree, they left explicit directions not to add anything into the tree pit. Don’t plant either, city trees need the soil loosened up every year. I think they have a place you can get an approved tree pit guard. Maybe that would help.