Alliance Participates in NYC Tree Mapping
November 17, 2016
Last year, Prospect Park Alliance partnered with NYC Parks in support of TreesCount! 2015, a citywide street tree census and an ambitious effort to better care for our leafy neighbors. The Alliance committed to mapping 100 block edges for the count, and recruited and trained a dedicated group of 192 volunteers to examine street trees, identify the diversity of species and look for signs of tree health and stewardship using mapping software.
After about a dozen TreesCount! 2015 expeditions, the Alliance succeeded in mapping 3,412 trees around the entire perimeter of the Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Curious about the amount of air pollutants removed by the London Plane tree on the corner of 10th street and Prospect Park West? 3 pounds. How about the number of trees in all of Windsor Terrace? 2,188. The interactive map created by NYC Parks can give you a general snapshot of the trees in your area, or provide you with granular data about the health of the American elm outside your window.
Thanks to this census, we can say that the monetary value of these shady neighbors is over $111 million annually, which includes values for intercepted stormwater, energy conserved and carbon dioxide reduction. Which is to say nothing of the intangible benefit one gets from walking down a tree-lined street this time of year as the colors change.
“The Alliance was proud to participate in this endeavor, and thanks our dedicated Volunteer Corps, as well as NYC Parks, the Park Slope Civic Council, and our partners on the Community Committee for their help with this project,” said Alliance President Sue Donoghue.