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A dead young tree on W. 212th Street. This summer’s
near-record heat and lower than average rainfall has threatened the
city’s street trees, which rely on rainfall for the bulk of their
water. The Parks Department is encouraging the community to adopt a
tree by watering it regularly, and weeding its tree pit. PHOTO: Daniel P. Bader
It’s a sunny hot day on Academy Street in Inwood. Heat radiates up from the pavement and down from the sun above, the only relief is from small pools of shade cast onto the sidewalks planted this spring through the city’s MillionTrees program.
Under one of the trees resident Luz Bermudez uses a borrowed watering can to splash some water down onto the soil of one of the trees. She is teaming up with the Parks Department to help convince her neighbors and other city residents to take care of the street trees near their buildings.
“The trees need passion; they need peoples’ love,” she said.
Someone on Bennett Avenue in Hudson Heights laid down sod and a white picket fence around their new tree pit. Unfortunately, by August the grass had turned yellow and died and was removed. PHOTO: Daniel P. Bader
John Pywell, the Parks Department’s Manhattan senior forester says this summer’s near record heat, combined with a lower-than-average rainfall has been rough on the city’s trees.
“It’s been a really hot summer, and we haven’t gotten very much rain at all,” he said.
“It was really windy early on as well, which didn’t really help things because it increases the amount of water the tress use they not only need it to grow but to keep cool as well – they evaporate water through the leaves to keep the leaves cool.”
But how much water does a typical street tree need?
“We sort of give the guideline of a minimum of 20 gallons a week, which is really bare minimum,” he said. “Ideally twice that.”
For the first two years of their city life, the nearly 80-different species of trees planted by the MillionTrees program are cared for by the nurseries that contract with the city. If one of the trees dies, the contractor is supposed to replace it, but the twice-a-month watering is really meant to supplement rain.
For the rest of the urban forest, unless there’s a leaky water main nearby, the trees are dependant on rainfall, or, the Parks Department hopes – help from the community.
“The best thing to do is to keep the pits weeded,” said Pywell. “If people are going to plant flowers or things like that, make sure they’re not particularly aggressive flowers – annuals things like that.”
Pywell also recommends adding mulch to the tree pits. It holds water, and also adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes.
Watering helps, but if the soil is tamped down, or compacted, it might not get down to the roots.
“If you get a hand cultivator and gently aerate around it and then mulch it – that’s the best thing,” Pywell said. Guards around the tree pit also help keep the soil loose.
“Erecting little fences around the tree pits is good too, because it keeps people and animals out,” he said.
Angelo Ortiz, unit director for youth and community development at the nonprofit Inwood Community Services, has seen residents near his playstreet on Post Avenue adopt their trees.
“They started building tree pits and the supers have been involved,” he said.
“They want the neighborhood to look better. They’re looking to do something to focus their energy on and be invested in the block – I mean literally, they’re investing in that little space.”
The trees have made a remarkable difference on the block.
“Before there were no trees, you’d walk up and down there’d be no shade. Now you get a little bit of shade. In 10-15 years it’s going to be a beautiful tree-lined street.”
Morgan Monaco, director of the MillionTrees program for the Parks Department, said the city has a Stewardship Corps of volunteers who take care of trees in their neighborhood, and MillionTrees gives tells them how.
“We offer free tree-care workshops and we give away buckets which people can use to bring back and fill up in their apartments or their homes and bring to the street trees,” she said.
Other ways to recycle water include taking the bucket into the shower with you to catch unused water, or to convince vendors or shop owners nearby to dump their ice into the tree pit instead of the gutter.
On the million trees website, www.milliontreesnyc.org, residents can literally adopt the tree they’re taking care of.
“You go on the map, make a profile of yourself, and say I am taking care of this tree on this block,” Monaco said.
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