Friday, January 11, 2008

Cloning living history

"We want to break the stereotype of New York as skyscrapers and sidewalks," Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said. "New York abounds in historical trees."

The target trees, five in each of New York's five boroughs, include nine different species. All were selected by borough foresters as historical for having existed for at least a century -- either as fixtures of the urban landscape or as having special significance to local communities.


Back to the Future: NYC Clones Historic Trees

Janet Bornancin, executive director of the Wheaton, Ill.-based Tree Fund, a research and education organization, said studies show trees live an average of 80 years in forests, 50 years in parks and about seven years on city streets.

Environmental pressures on the latter include air pollution, road salt, tightly packed, nutrient-poor soil and cramped space for root growth -- even wrapping holiday lights too tightly, she said.

"Every time a jet aircraft flies over the city it drops kerosene that damages trees," McMaster added.


Hmmm...With 2 airports in the borough, just think of what it's doing to us! As for the trees, why are we cloning historic specimens but cutting down healthy forests such as those at the Ridgewood Reservoir?

Photo from Documentary Works

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

No better time to clone the trees at St. Saviour's! I mean the ones whose roots were completely damaged, and all hope is abandoned that they'll grow back naturally.

What other areas should we clone? Thoughts anyone? This is not an incentive to cut down, but let's conserve what we have first.

I have no faith in Benepe nor Bloomie.

Anonymous said...

Great question! There are a lot of trees in the vicinity of Kissena Park that were part of the Parsons' orchard. At the time he brought them over from Asia they were rather exotic. It might be worth cloning them.

Anonymous said...

When Benepe/Bloomberg says "I saw a tree I love ...', they mean "I love to saw trees".

Street trees, Saint Saviours", PS 49, and now the current target is the forest in the Ridgewood Reservoir.

There are trees to preserve, and there are contracts with greedy developers to preserve.

This pair chooses the most profitable preservation plan: cut down trees to lay the ground bare so developers can build.

After all, there is money to preserve, and Bloomberg knows money.

Anonymous said...

CBS News the other night had a blurb on Bloombergs "1 million new trees" plan. What they neglect to tell the public is that millions of old trees will be cut down to build crap.

Anonymous said...

All these exotic trees, like the vast majority of million trees, will end up on the grassy boulevards emptied by congestion pricing.

If they were serious about greening Queens (except places like the Doormans $6 million greeway slated for yuppies on Vernon) they would not let all the trees cuts down for crap.

Anonymous said...

Throw a noose over a branch
and hang Benepe by his balls.....
for allowing the old growth trees at St. Saviour's
to be mercilessly cut down!

(Now you can all guess who just said this)!