TREES WEST VILLAGE!
Trees New York is excited to announce our newest project – Trees West Village! We are thrilled to bring our programing to this historic and iconic neighborhood. The project consists of three components: tree planting, tree stewardship and education, and tree bed repair.
Our goal is to improve the conditions of the tree canopy in the West Village, and train and engage volunteers, which will build a coalition of tree stewards that are better equipped to care for and advocate for their neighborhood trees.
TREE PLANTING
Trees New York hosted a demonstration street tree planting and planted an Elm tree on Sixth Avenue and Houston Street in front of William F. Passionate Playground. Residents, Citizen Pruners, and students from NYU came to the tree planting. We planted a 2.5” balled and burlaped Elm Tree. This is a large tree which meets all the minimum requirements of street tree planting by NYC Parks. The participants learned about the size and scope of a typical street tree planting and had the opportunity to help plant the tree and ask questions.
The participants also watched the Arborists and Contractors unload the 600lb street tree from the truck, remove the soil from the tree bed, backfill the tree bed with new soil, and use equipment to lift the trees into the tree bed. Following the contractors, the participants shoveled the new soil into the tree bed, stabilized the tree with stakes, and watered and mulched the tree.
TREE STEWARDSHIP AND CITIZEN PRUNER COURSE
Trees New York engages volunteers and Citizen Pruners to care for trees in the project area. Trees New York staff, interns, volunteers and Citizen Pruners helped us steward and/or prune over 50 trees in the project area, where we focused mainly on watering young street trees and cultivating the soil since many tree beds had compacted soil. Volunteer stewardship activities included removing litter and weeds from the tree beds, cultivating the soil, watering, and mulching.
We also held a Citizen Pruner Course targeted to people who either live, work, or attend school in the West Village. The Citizen Pruner Course was taught in person at The Center on West 13th Street. We trained 21 new Citizen Pruners. During the 10-hour course, participants learned why trees are important to urban environments, tree identification, biology, maintenance, and how to properly prune street trees. During the Citizen Pruner course we held three pruning workshops in the field where the new Citizen Pruners had the opportunity to practice their pruning and prune street trees in the area.
Additionally, we held a Citizen Pruner refresher course to prune more street trees along 6th Avenue and Bleecker Street.
Youth Education Activities: Trees New York taught a series of three lessons at the Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School. Trees New York educators led twenty-two students in two first grade classes through activities which explored the benefits provided by New York City street trees, the challenges they face, and how to identify specific trees and their adaptations. Students then used the knowledge learned in the first two sessions to steward 10 street trees outside of their school including cultivating soil, mulching, and planting flower bulbs.
TREE BED REPAIR
For the Tree Bed Repair component, Trees New York’s is focus is on older street trees in the neighborhood and identifying tree beds that need repair. Surveying the area, we take an inventory of street trees that are being impacted by bricks and Belgian blocks. We then remove Belgian blocks, add soil amendments and mulch, and enlarge the tree bed if possible.
The work is done in partnership with our contractor since it requires a permit from NYC Parks, the use of heavy equipment, and proper disposal of the debris. Repairing the tree bed increases water and oxygen access to the roots, reduces hazards, and helps prevent sidewalk damage, ultimately contributing to the trees’ overall health and longevity.
Please help us spread the news and share this information with your neighbors. If they or you are interested in participating in the project or taking the Citizen Pruner course, click the button below and complete the interest form.
Click here for interest form and stay tuned for future announcements and information on how you can get involved!
