story and captioned photos by Ralph Mancini
Saving the borough’s trees from destruction by careless developers brought a broad spectrum of residents together to support initiatives planned by the Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces (QCPGS).
On Thursday, Oct. 25, QCPGS president Frederick Kress announced that “it’s time to flex our muscles” to the group of tree preservationists congregated at the Overlook of Forest Park in Kew Gardens, as he referenced a host of arborcides reportedly being committed by construction companies and city agencies.
Kress specifically made mention of recent plans made by the Long Island Rail Road to clear a swath of trees at the Broadway-Flushing station which was reportedly stopped by community members.
He also touched upon another attempt by the Parks Department to denude one chamber of the Ridgewood Reservoir and turn it into an athletic field.
“We’ve been sitting back and letting things happen,” he said. “We’re strong enough to make a difference...What’s most damaging is not having the facts and looking like we don’t know what we’re talking about.”
Consulting Arborist of the Kissena Park Civic Association Carsten Glaeser, Ph.D, talks about numerous construction sites throughout Queens where trees are being irreparably damaged.
To that end, Kress introduced Consulting Arborist from the Kissena Park Civic Association Carsten Glaeser, Ph. D to provide those in attendance with a comprehensive overview of how a wave of construction has done irreparable damage to trees throughout the borough in the past 10 years.
Following a rundown of the various species of trees and their ecological benefits, Glaeser apprised people of the fact that even when trees aren’t taken down, they’re root zones aren’t being protected.
The fibrous root systems reportedly absorb moisture and are the site of vital gas exchange, which also allows for a tree to receive the proper nutrients it requires and also enables it to metabolize and ward off insects.
In most construction projects, he said, several city agencies are involved in approving the work without flagging any concerns about trees. The Department of Buildings was singled out as one of those who typically commit that oversight when issuing building permits.
The tree specialist told of how backhoes oftentimes kill root systems, as well as work done during the installation of curb cuts.
“When you compact soil irreversibly, you’re killing microorganisms that contribute to the ecosystem,” he added along with changes that are made to the soil’s pH levels.
Compacted soil, residents learned, often leads to trees drying out and eventually dying.
Glaeser was careful not to pin the entire blame on the DOB as he pointed out how a lack communication between city agencies is further contributing to the mistreatment of the largest and longest-living organisms on the face of the earth.
Throughout his slideshow, the Flushing based arborist showed a number of sites where this is happening, such as a location on Parsons Boulevard where the new home owner proceeded to tear down a healthy 100-year-old Copper Leaf Peach tree.
“We need a mechanism to fight this,” he stressed in relation to numerous contractors that are getting away with mass tree destruction with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
Glaeser also noted that architects and engineers should also be partially blamed for what’s taking place due to the fact that they’re often assigned to evaluate whether or not a tree should be spared, but make the wrong decision to do away with it based solely on pictures and past projects instead of them actually going out on the field themselves.
Juniper Park Civic Association board member Steven Fiedler took issue with the Department of Transportation when performing street millings and repavements.
In lieu of using residential machinery to complete the work, the agency is reportedly utilizing heavy duty commercial grade equipment to save time, but this practice, said Fiedler, is also doing unnecessary harm to root systems.
While on the topic, Glaeser advocated that all Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Design and Construction crews employ air spading diagnostic tools while performing sewer improvements.
These tools, according to the arborist, exposes a tree’s root system and indentifies where it’s coming from.
“[This procedure] allows you to slip pipes underneath and keep roots intact.”
Many Queens residents came out to voice their concerns over the plight of several trees throughout the borough, including South Queens activist David M. Quintana (pictured addressing speaker).
South Queens activist David M. Quintana commented on tree root damage by making the following analogy: “It’s like having our feet cut out and standing on our ankles.”
Glaeser also opined on tree prunings by indicating that they can wound trees, which sometimes cannot heal and progressively become susceptible to pathogens as a result.
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