NYC Tree Census

Volunteer to help Joel Berson with the NYC Tree Census!

A census of all the street trees on the City is being conducted this year by NYC Parks Dept. It is a huge undertaking and volunteers are needed to help complete the job. We are blessed to be in a neighborhood graced by tree lined streets which complements the architectural beauty of our historic district.  I hope many of our residents will become "VOLUNTREERS" 

 

Sign up for  online training on the Parks Department website.  It takes about 30 to 45 minutes, and is completed when you answer a 10-question multiple choice test in which 7 out of 10 is passing.  The training material teaches us about the growing conditions street trees encounter and how to enter data correctly in the handheld touchscreen tablets. There are essentially only 2 measured items to key in (tree circumference in inches and distance from last tree in feet) as well as several fields where you choose among several options, such as tree species, condition of sidewalk, and stewardship practices 

      The good news is I have obtained an area in our own neighborhood of about 50 square blocks to focus our surveying efforts in.. It is named "Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park" similar to the historic district although it is much larger, extending roughly between Ocean Ave and Ocean Pkwy from Avenue I north to Foster Avenue.  In the near future I will arrange a hands on training class in our neighborhood for those who have completed the Parks Dept. online training course. 

In that class you will learn how to use the tablet and measuring wheel and how to assess a tree's species and growing conditions. You will be given a backpack, safety vest, measuring tape, ID tag, water bottle and tree identification guide.

    Please go to the Parks Department website in nycgovparks.org/trees/treescount

to get the background and learn the basics. I hope many of you will join me in this important work.  

Joel Berson:  718 309 8023