When I was looking for a news article for my LWT presentation this week, there were several that spiked my attention. One article (link at the bottom) proposed a solution to even out the Carbon emissions that we are exposed to by planting 1.2 trillion trees. That solution is not a new idea, only the amount of trees that would be enough has changed.
Aside from cancelling out the carbon emissions, trees simply improve the quality of the air that we breathe. It’s an undisputed fact. They also reduce stormwater run-off, provide shelter for birds, and keep the city cooler during the summer. Trees are great for the city and it’s great that the city is planting more and more of them. That article made me think about my neighborhood.
On my short way to the train station (just 2 blocks), I counted 11 newly planted trees. They were only planted there this year and I still can’t get used to this different look of the street. New Trees are still being planted at locations requested by the public and at locations determined by NYC Parks. As you can see on the picture the soil around the tree is covered with trash and glass. Pabvitraa mentioned this in her post too: people still manage to mess things up.
I don’t think there’s any way we can stop people from discarding their junk at any place they see fit, but we can certainly use social media (and a tad of public shaming) or any other tools at our disposal to stop such acts. Or we can clean up the mess that others made. The question is whether we want to do it.
My concern isn’t really about the garbage, but rather the issues regarding infrastructure that come with more trees. In my neighborhood, there are trees that are hundreds of years old as a result, the roots have begun to pop out from underneath the sidewalk (something like this: https://inexpensivetreecare.com/wp-content/uploads/tree_sidewalk-1.jpg) These trees not only end up destroying the sidewalks, but also propose an issue of safety of pedestrians that are unaware of the uneven surfaces or those that are traveling with a lot of personal belongings. While I think it’s great that we are trying to plant more trees, I can’t really think of a way that can help prevent the trees’ eventual overgrowth, or subsequently try to rectify these damaged walkways.