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The Department of Parks and Recreation encourages Brooklyn residents to take part in Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s initiative to plant a million trees throughout New York City.
As part of making New York City “more green”, the importance of having trees around is being taken very seriously.
Individuals can call 311, or their community board leaders to request the planting of a tree. A city official will then be sent to inspect the potential location. If the requested location passes inspection, a tree will be planted in that spot.
The technology that will be used in the planting of these trees comes from Africa. “Africans place much emphasis on urban forestry, and it’s now become apparent why,” said Ian Jack, a representative from the Department of Parks and Recreation. “The Africans are far more advanced when it comes to this sort of thing.”
Individuals are encouraged to look at the long term benefits of planting trees. “There is a 60 percent reduction in the rate of asthma when children have enough trees in their immediate environment,” says Mr. Jack. He also states that people will feel better psychologically when there are trees present.
Besides being good for mental health, requesting a tree “is an easy way to make a contribution to your community” says Mr. Jack. “And most importantly, it won’t cost you anything. All you have to do is make the call.”
Some members of the community were not entirely sold on the idea. “Who would be responsible for the pruning of these trees?” asked board member Anne Marie Anderson. “And sometimes the roots cause the sidewalks to have cracks in them. That’s not very nice for the community.”
Mr. Jack understands the concerns, and recommended that members of the community become “stewards of the trees.” He suggests that if anyone notices a tree that needs to be pruned, or a crack in the sidewalk that needs to be filled, they should contact their community board member so that a request may be sent to the appropriate parties.
There is more information available about the planting trees in Brooklyn at the following site: http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/people/meet_the_deputy_commissioner.html .