City Trees

Could you talk about the Eco Map of the WSP trees? In prepping that, were there any surprises as you became more intimate with the tree collection? GSS: I had considered a field survey to gather data for the map but a couple of factors dissuaded me. First, I could not find an inventory platform that would work well given the budget and tech- nology available to the initiative. Second, some of the trees in the Park are underplanted or are located in difficult-to-access areas, so it was not possible to measure the DBH of every tree. I turned to existing data. At first, I unsuccessfully tried to source digital data, specifically tree maps that would have been created as part of the major reconstruction project that was completed in 2014. Next, I turned to old-fashioned paper. The data for the tree layer was derived from construction draw- ings kept in the map room in the Olmsted Center building in Flushing, Queens. I worked with the map room manager to select and copy maps that covered the longest time span. The earliest map we found is dated 1969. However, there could be older maps with tree information that we did not uncover. Readers might be surprised to learn that until 2019, there was a 30-inch (76 cm) diameter tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) growing in the lawn across from the WSP administration building! As I became more acquainted with the trees in the park, I was also surprised to see mulberries (Morus sp.) and a black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). What are some of the trees in WSP that you'd like to single out? GSS: Of course I have to write about the English elm in the northwestern corner of the Park. It is WSP's most (in)famous tree and one of the oldest trees in NYC. English elm is native to Southern and Eastern Europe, so the tree was most likely intro- duced to its location by humans. The WSP English elm is an estimated 340 years old and is at least 67 inches (170 cm) in diameter and 131 feet (40 m) tall. The elm's first year may have occurred in 1679, after the British gained control of New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664 but before the first record of a British landowner of this area in 1790. There is an urban myth surrounding this WSP tree, known as the "Hangman's Elm." While there were hang- ings in the Park, executions took place in its eastern portion. (The last official hanging in WSP took place in 1819.) The western portion of the Park on which the English elm grows was privately held until 1826. The symbolism of elms might be another contrib- uting factor to the "Hangman's Elm" myth. In Britain, elm wood was used to build coffins, and live elm stems were used in other Christian ceremonies. I'd also like to call out the crabapple (Malus flori- bunda) slightly west of the Washington Arch. The trees are almost alive with birds eating the ripe fruit in the fall. You'll find starling of course, but also American robin, gray catbird, and hermit thrush. There are a few other groves of crabapples that also attract birds in the fall. The only cedar waxwing I have observed in WSP was foraging in the crabapple grove across from the "big kid" playground. >> "The English elm is WSP's most (in)famous tree and one of the oldest trees in NYC." 18 CityTREES

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