Street trees care

Street Trees Care (STC) is one of our key projects. New York City has approximately 5.2 million trees, and nearly 700,000 are street trees (defined as any tree growing within the public-right-of-way). According to MillionTrees NYC, “The value of the street trees in each borough can be quantified in terms of the amount of air pollution removed, emissions avoided, storm water runoff intercepted, and energy saved.” Street trees not only clean the air we breathe, mitigate flooding, and reduce pollution, they also increase property values.

Red Hook is home to 4,308 street trees, and arguably nowhere in our city are they more valuable and yet more challenged to survive. Red Hook is a low-lying, marine-proximate environment and a flood zone. Much of the area’s ground consists of red clay (inherent to the area’s original Dutch name, Roode Hoek, for its red clay soil). Tree roots are challenged to penetrate the soil deeply and are vulnerable to the area’s high water table. As was widely reported, Red Hook sustained particularly heavy damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Today, an observer biking Red Hook’s streets would note that many of the neighborhood’s street trees are young—less than 10 years old—because the trees they replaced were killed by the approximately four feet of sea water that covered the area.

So what are we and our volunteers doing to help? Our regular STC projects involve cleaning the tree pits, adding mulch or compost, watering the trees, and working with local residents and business owners to adopt and care for neighborhood trees.

We’d love to have you join us in our efforts—either as a one-time or regular volunteer, or as a Street Tree Steward. Contact us to learn more.