It was a cloudy day. There was the imminent threat of rain. But the approaching storm slowed its approach. The long awaited Shirley Chisholm Circle Dedication was about to begin. The storm waited while the first African American woman to run for the Presidency of the United States in 1972 was remembered and honored in her home town of Crown Heights.

SAVE THE DATE

Wednesday, June 08, 2016 11:00-1:00 P.M.

Brower Park, Crown Heights, Brooklyn

For more information about the Shirley Chisholm Circle Dedication contact: contactus@friendsofbrowerpark.org

To donate using Paypal click the DONATE button or

email: donate@friendsofbrowerpark.org

If you would like to Volunteer to help spruce up Brower Park in preparation for the June 08, 2016 event or help out on the day of the event. Fill out the volunteer form by clicking the VOLUNTEER button. Individuals and groups are welcome to sign-up. Students can earn community service credits.

RSVP: Camille.Griffith@parks.nyc.gov

This event is being sponsored by: NYC Parks & Recreation, Borough President Eric Adams, and Council Member Robert Cornegy with contributions by Friends of Brower Park, Inc. and the Brower Park Community. 

In Remembrance of Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm 1924-2005 by the Brower Park Community.

Join the fun and games at the  7th Annual Extravaganza brought to the Brower Park-Crown Heights Community by the St. Marks Avenue Independent Block Association, Inc. Visit the Friends of Brower Park table. We have a secret, fun, and earthly activity planned. Hmm, what can it be?

Brower Park Community Volunteers make a difference.

This weekend volunteers weeded plant beds and spread mulch around the trees surrounding the children’s playground and in a plant bed near the Monarch Butterfly Garden. We also planted 3 new bushes protecting them in a mulch bed.  NYC Parks Forestry, very kindly provided mulch made from Brower Park trees that had just been cut down. We are working very hard to preserve Brower Park’s trees and plants. Volunteer today!

As many of you have noticed we have been experiencing the loss of Brower Park’s old growth trees; the Theodore Roosevelt oaks planted in 1919–are centenarians. Several trees date back to the late 19th Century and were standing before the public opening of Brower Park in 1894. Many of the Brower Park community have shed tears for each tree that has been lost –whether to hurricanes Irene and Sandy or to disease. Since Hurricane Irene Brower Park has lost close to 40 trees. Forestry has planted approximately 33 trees to replace those that have been lost. The urban forest, of which Brower Park is a part, is so important to maintaining our quality of urban life that NYC Forestry’s citywide policy is to replace each tree that is lost with the goal of planting 5 trees for every tree lost.

Why does Forestry cut down healthy looking trees?

Why does a NYC Parks Arborist decide to take down a tree?  To prevent harm to human life.   There was a danger that the trees near the playground were compromised and could have fallen down in a stiff wind. The photo of the stump shows red rot within the trunk.

Why do trees lose their vitality?

The air contains pollutants, roots are strangled by compacted soil that cannot hold enough water or nutrients (microorganisms and organic material) for healthy growth. Concrete that surrounds the trees prevents oxygen and water from reaching the roots. Foot traffic damages roots that have surfaced to reach oxygen and water and nails and staples create a wound in the tree’s bark (its protective skin). Pollutants in the air, in building materials, ammonia in animal waste add to the tree’s distress. Just like human beings who have a poor diet and live in a polluted environment, they have a more difficult time fighting off disease and insect infestations or maintaining a strong interior structure. They weaken with time. They lose branches and put out fewer leaves, their root systems deteriorate and may not be able to keep the tree upright in a strong wind or heavy rain. The cellular structure of the trunk itself can deteriorate. Ground roots had been wounded by foot traffic. Red rot was evident in some of the trees recently cut down near the playground.

Old tree–Young tree

A young tree does not have the same capacity of a mature tree to filter carbon and other particulates out of the air,  reduce flooding, cool a sufficient volume of air to reduce energy costs, provide shade, and provide a safe home and diet for wildlife. They are an investment in the future. Most new trees measure 3″ caliper (diameter) and are approximately 10-12 years old and cost in the vicinity of $1500. Cities are a stressful environment for trees and they struggle to maintain a healthy biology. That is why Friends of Brower Park views one of our chief responsibilities as citizen stewards to care of both park and street trees. We believe that the Brower Park community’s proactive efforts will keep our old growth trees (park and street trees) and new young trees vital and growing and servicing other life on this planet.

If you would like to learn more about tree decay download the USDA Technical Report “Wood Decay in Living and Dead Trees: A Pictorial Overview by Walter C. Shortle and Kenneth R. Dudzik (June 2012).

SAVE THE DATE

Wednesday, June 08, 2016 11:00-1:00 P.M.

Brower Park, Crown Heights, Brooklyn

For more information about the Shirley Chisholm Circle Dedication contact: contactus@friendsofbrowerpark.org

To donate using Paypal click the DONATE button or

email: donate@friendsofbrowerpark.org

If you would like to Volunteer to help spruce up Brower Park in preparation for the June 08, 2016 event or help out on the day of the event. Fill out the volunteer form by clicking the VOLUNTEER button. Individuals and groups are welcome to sign-up. Students can earn community service credits.

RSVP: Camille.Griffith@parks.nyc.gov

This event is being sponsored by: NYC Parks & Recreation, Borough President Eric Adams, and Council Member Robert Cornegy with contributions by Friends of Brower Park, Inc. and the Brower Park Community.