In April, the North Brooklyn Tree Project helped plant 135 trees in McCarren Park as part of PlaNYC’s MillionTreesNYC initiative. This was just one of their several projects.

The North Brooklyn Tree Project, a project of the Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks & Planning (GWAPP) Tree Committee, has been pursuing a few different projects. After surveying about half of the streets in Community Board 1, fifteen Tree Project volunteers submitted about 2,000 spots for tree planting. The group is working to advocate for the area to more trees planted. One specific goal is to green Manhattan Avenue where no trees currently exist. The group has also been encouraging residents to request free trees by calling 311 to be planted in front of their residences. For members of the group, street trees have made for a compelling cause, for different reasons.

‘Who doesn't want more trees?’

“I got involved with the tree project for a few reasons,” said Mikki Halpin. “One, is that it is an aspect of community activism where you can see results fairly quickly. I think that is terribly exciting, and I am hoping that through this we can get a lot of people excited about how they can have a positive impact on their neighborhood in this and in other ways. Right now I can look out of my window and see the tree that my neighbor got planted more than five years ago and it is doing great! I'm very interested in getting more of North Brooklyn mobilized in a lot of activist ways, because this neighborhood has been so underserved in so many ways and I think trees are a good issue to do outreach with … Who doesn't want more trees?”

‘I also have to admit that I am a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien … I enjoy how the trees fight back. Knowing what I do now, urban trees have a lot to rebel about.’

“I joined the North Brooklyn Tree Project after attending a GWAPP community forum that told people what was going on with park issues and invited people to get involved,” recalls Karen Overton. “As a Partnerships for Parks employee who works in Queens, I felt the desire to better understand the issues in my own neighborhood (Greenpoint, Brooklyn). For 15 years, I have been working in NYC to promote cycling as an environmentally friendly form of transport. I never actively worked on greening issues. Now that I work with Parks, I feel at a disadvantage because I lack this background. The MillionTreesNYC initiative provides the perfect opportunity to start my street tree education. I also have to admit that I am a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien, a famous author who created tree characters in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I enjoy how the trees fight back. Knowing what I do now, urban trees have a lot to rebel about. I only wish that I could empower them rather than just serve as a steward!”

Street Tree Care Workshop, Greenpoint, June 11, 2008, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.

GWAPP Tree Committee’s North Brookyn Tree Project is bringing to Greenpoint a free street tree care workshop at the Green Oaks Club in Greenpoint on June 11, 2008, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Presented by The New York Tree Trust and Partnerships for Parks. For details or to register, send your name and contact information to channaly.oum@parks.nyc.gov. (Registration is required)

For more information about GWAPP, see http://www.gwapp.org.