This Sunday from 12 to 2 p.m the West 80’s Neighborhood Association will hold an annual event to fix up the street trees in the neighborhood. People are expected to meet at the Garden at The Urban Assembly School for Green Careers at 84th and Amsterdam. You can sign up here.
Join our elected officials, Community Board 7, NYC Parks Department, Sanitation Department, local businesses and non-profits, students and parents, environmental organizations, and community groups as we gather for our annual Spring cleanup and beautification day on the UWS.
First come, first serve to recieve a free tree care goodie bag with gardening supplies, curb your dog sign, and other gifts. Mulch, compost and pails will be provided too!
Watch a tree stewardship demonstration and then “adopt” a tree/s on your block or in the neighborhood for tree care and sidewalk cleanup.
Learn how important urban trees are to our health, environment and economy, and how properly cared for permeable soil slows down stormwater runoff into our waterways preventing combined sewage overflows.
Learn why litter and especially plastics are so detrimental to our rivers and oceans, and what we can all do to reduce our ecological footprint and move towards a zero waste closed loop system.
Have fun meeting other volunteers who love NYC trees and want to help improve our neighborhood! Coffee provided by Irving Coffee, snacks by Jacob’s Pickles.
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/851706604970420/
This volunteer community event is co-hosted by NYC Council Member Helen Rosenthal, NY State Assembly Members Linda Rosenthal and Daniel O’Donnell, Community Board 7, NYC Parks Department, Curb Allure, Goddard Riverside Community Center Green Keepers, Trees NY, Beacon Paint and Hardware, Broadway Mall, Citizens Committee for NYC, Commit to Green, The Doe Fund, Insurgo, Irving Coffee, Jacobs Pickles Digs NY, Landmark West!, Lowes, The Nature Conservancy, New Yorkers for Parks, NY Restoration Project, The Urban Assembly School for Green Careers, West End Preservation Society, and West Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to all our co-sponsors!
It’s great. And please add badly soil to the many tree pits along Broadway. Start with the one in front of the Apthorp…on the corner of Broadway & 78th Street. Sadly, the Apthorp Condominiums have never added soil, mulch or flower plantings in ANY of their tree pits on Broadway, West 78 Street or along West End Avenue.
Shame on You, Apthorp!
Right or wrong the care and so forth of tree beds rests with owners; City of New York.
Curb and those plantings are on city property just as trees along curbside in outer boroughs. Though the city *requests* residents there water and tend for trees/plantings, some residents do, others do not. As water rates have risen greatly over the past decade, less and less building owners in Manhattan and elsewhere feel compelled to care for trees/beds/plantings.
In fact when it comes to the outer boroughs there are homeowners who object to trees being planted in front of their homes. Thus they refuse to water or otherwise care for the things at all.
On many Manhattan blocks and elsewhere local street/block associations raise funds that pay for the upkeep of tree beds. Most hire a landscaping company that does plantings, puts down “blankets” for winter, and so forth. On blocks with mostly private homes (including brownstones) many owners will “adopt” the tree beds in front of their homes.
Again however this is all voluntary. Nothing in city law or rules can compel private property owners to take care of trees, plantings and so forth located in front of but not on their property.
But be careful not to put too much – a lot of people are piling dirt and mulch above the roots of the tree. This is actually bad for the tree. What they need is to have the soil aerated/uncompacted so water can get through.
Good luck with “aerated” and “uncompacted” when every other dog owner treats tree beds as Fido’s personal spot.
Re: “add badly soil”
Please add a goodly amount of badly soil!
And please to add it carefully, not badly.
Additionally, I was given a smirk by a high end realtor after commenting to her that the trees along West 78 Street, Broadway and West End Avenue surrounding The Apthorp apartments – were in great need of soil and mulch. She actually told me that the Apthorp Condominium just cared about the landscaping of their private courtyard…and certainly not the PUBLIC trees along a shared NYC sidewalk that surrounds their building.
That is just so selfish, cheap – and UN-CIVIC minded. What a disgrace!
Cloud over Kvikne.
Sorry for typo-
Meant:
“…badly needed soil”
I love peeing on trees!
~Snoopy (79th St.)
Doesn’t Ms. Rosenthal have enough pull to get a fence put around tree beds in front of her office?
Without any sort of fencing all that planning and care shown in picture will be for naught. As within few hours or less “Fido” will be directed into tree bed to do his business.
Then again forget it, fences aren’t that huge of a deterrent to many dog owners or walkers. Have seen far to many cajole, direct, push, pull if not outright pick up a dog and place it into a tree bed.
The city planted a very tiny and weak tree in front of where I have an apartment at 158 West 72nd St. It’s amazing how it ‘s survived even a year. When we contacted the City to put guards around it and additional protective measures they said it could take up to 2 years to even get approval. Just amazing we would like to help and pay for it and the city makes everything so difficult.
If the tree bed is small, sooner or later the city will get round to doing something. Part of the program to ensure more trees survive is making the beds larger so more water can reach ground/roots. Usually at the same time new protection such as a fence or concrete border is done as well.
You may have noticed older tree beds around Manhattan being expanded. New ones are made to the “larger” plot when the beds are created/tree planted.