City tree beds get TLC from volunteer New Yorkers
NEW YORK -- In a densely packed city, nature often comes bite-sized. Tracts of soil dotting the sidewalks are where city trees take root, making up New York's backyard.
The city's official tree map has identified nearly 900,000 trees in New York. While the Department of Parks and Recreation is in charge of sidewalk trees, their beds rely on extra help.
"They've recruited lots and lots of volunteers, gotten us trained, and sent us out," Len Maniace said.
As board member for the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, Maniace leads a subset of volunteers calling themselves Tree LC.
The group picks up litter and plants native perennials to attract butterflies and bumblebees come summertime.
"We're creating these little nature habitats in the city around these tree beds," Maniace said.
Trees from green ash to purple leaf plum are found in Queens, which boasts more mapped trees than Manhattan and the Bronx combined.
Volunteers want to protect the beds from being treated as bike racks, ash trays, or pet relief zones. Tree guards help discourage trampling, which can can also be destructive to tree health.
"We're trying to make it so that we can live in harmony, truly, with nature in Jackson Heights," Tree LC volunteer Bonnie Astor said.
In Sunnyside, the Newtown Creek Alliance cleans and cares for a special type of bed: the rain garden.
"The average pedestrian doesn't really fully understand them," horticulturalist Brenda Suchilt said. "It becomes an eyesore when it's not properly maintained."
With layers of plants, stones, and engineered soil, rain gardens are designed to absorb flooding and protect New York's water supply. According to the Department of Environmental Protection, each rain garden can hold up to 2,500 gallons of water in a storm.
Melissa Enoch is acting assistant commissioner for the DEP's Bureau of Environmental Planning and Analysis. She counts more than 10,500 rain gardens citywide.
"Community volunteers for rain garden maintenance is extremely important," she said. "We love to see neighbors taking after their rain gardens and taking to other neighbors about the importance of these critical assets."
To learn how to clean tree beds, click here. To learn how to become a rain garden steward, send an email to raingardens@dep.nyc.gov.
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