On Friday, Greenpoint community members and local electeds joined students from St. Stan’s Catholic Academy on Driggs Avenue to plant the first of 500 new trees for the neighborhood.
“Greening Greenpoint,” is one of the legacy projects funded by GCEF and selected by the community in December 2014. This three-year project managed by the New York Tree Trust will increase tree canopy cover, improve the health of existing trees and engage residents in the stewardship of trees in their community.
“Trees and green spaces are an invaluable part of every neighborhood,” said Councilmember Steve Levin, who participated in the planting “This program will bring hundreds of new trees to Greenpoint and improve the health of existing neighborhood trees by offering residents a chance to learn the ins and outs of proper tree care. I look forward to Greenpoint getting a little greener over the next three years.”
The first new tree planted was a Hackberry, a native shade tree known as a great host for local birds. It was planted next to 189 Driggs Avenue, on a block that includes residential buildings, various local businesses, a church and a school. After its planting, more than 30 students from St. Stan’s, including the local Girl Scout troop planted 300 daffodil bulbs around all the trees on the block.
As part of the project, Greenpoint residents and business owners can now request tree planting, tree bed enlargement, and tree guard installation all paid for through the grant on the project website: http://osanb.org/greening-greenpoint/.
“This project is very unique because we’re really focusing on community input and participation,” said Project Coordinator, Sophie Plitt. “We’ll be investing a lot of resources in training and equipping Greenpointers to become life-long stewards of our valuable neighborhood trees.”
