The inaugural event for the Forth on Fourth Avenue Committee’s comprehensive tree-care and maintenance program was a great success. Longtime and brand-new FOFA members and volunteers from the Arias building joined together on Saturday, June 16, to bring 14 street trees into adoption and care at 150 and 126 Fourth Avenue
The Park Slope Civic Council committee received a “mini-grant” of $700 from the MillionTreesNYC program in late May to launch its program of maintaining trees on Fourth between Bergen and Carroll Streets; creating a pamphlet for Fourth Avenue residents and merchants emphasizing the environmental and economic benefits that healthy trees offer; and helping new adopters of neighborhood tree beds with inexpensive tree guards, assistance in the first cultivation and planting of the beds, training in maintenance, and tool kits from MillionTreesNYC.
People who helped out at this first event scouted out the area, started weeding, picked up some great compost from our friends at the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, mixed it into the soil, started planting, watered, engaged the help of passersby (no matter how young), applied mulch from MillionTreesNYC, and then stepped back to admire what they accomplished.
Our thanks to Marisa Denby with Arias Park Slope management, who provided water and snacks; Paul Bregianos with 126 Fourth Ave. management; Hans Hesselein and Eymund Diegel with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy for the compost and help with weeding and cultivating; Andrew Newman, Susan Kornacki, Shalini Beath, and the SteWagon staff for their assistance in coordinating the afternoon event; the Civic Council’s Sustainability Committee for the signs made by P.S. 321 students; and Joe Ciccone for his own signs.
In other tree news, the MillionTreesNYC program just announced its My Tree NYC: Beautiful Tree Bed Contest. Participants should “like” the MillionTreesNYC Facebook page to sign up and upload a photo of their beautiful tree bed. Prizes are available to Best Tree Bed in Brooklyn and Best Group Work.
Next up for FOFA is the design and construction of tree guards for the newly adopted tree beds. If you are interested in participating in the committee that will oversee design and construction, e-mail us at fofa@parkslopeciviccouncil.org.
from the Summer 2012 Civic News