Resources

Tree Care—Our recommendations

How to keep your tree healthy and happy all year round.
To stay healthy and growing, street trees need people. Here are some ways you can help.

• Water regularly (once or twice in the Spring, 2-3 times a week during hot, dry weather) using 6 to 8 gallons of water at a time. Buckets of water are best as they allow you to gauge the amount of water you are using. Good soaking also allow the water to reach the roots where it does the most good.
  
  
• Fertilizer and lime may be helpful. Please contact the Fund for assistance on the correct amounts as over-doing it is harmful to the tree. Loosen the top 2 inches of the soil around your tree on a regular basis. This is done with a rake or a garden claw and allows air and water to reach the roots of your tree more easily.
  
  
• Salt will kill trees. In winter, use cat litter, sand or commercial non-salt de-icer instead of salt on sidewalks.
  
  
• Pruning Trees for proper shaping and for preventing broken, diseased or dead branches from causing decay is very important. However, healthy pruning takes some expertise which members of the Fund can provide for young trees only.
  
  
• Put a tree guard around the tree to protect the tree from cars and other damage. Please contact us for more information.
  
  
• Plant shallow-rooted plants such as impatiens, wax begonias, English and Baltic ivy around your established tree.
  
  
• Turn and loosen the soil. Once or twice a year, turn several trowels of peat, moss, compost and dehydrated cow manure into the tree pit to create a more spongy growing medium.

Other Ideas for Tree Care
New York Department of Parks & Recreation — Tree Care & Maintenance

Links to Parks
Cobble Hill Park
Propect Park Alliance

Learn More About Trees
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
City Parks Foundation
Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Home page)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Big City, Big Trees
Trees New York
National Tree Benefit Calculator

Learn about the Asian Long-horned beetle
NY Department of Parks & Recreation

Become a Citizen Tree Pruner
To obtain further information about the course registration, contact the New York City Tree Consortium.

Trees New York
51 Chambers Street, Ste 1412A
New York, 10007
212-227-1887
www.treesny.com

Permits/Forms
CB6 Street Tree Planting Request Form

Composting
NYC Waste Less—Composting in NYC
Food Waste Community Drop-offs
Lower East Side Ecology Center