Many more trees are now growing in Brooklyn thanks to another coastal resiliency project that was accomplished on Wednesday, April 26th, at the Fresh Creek Nature Preserve at East 108th Street and Avenue M. The venture entailed reforesting a plot of land that was excavated to facilitate the Fresh Creek Coastal Protection Project which was completed in 2022.
The tree-planting operation was funded by the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) and involved a number of agencies including Jamaica Bay Coastal Resilience and Fresh Creek Nature Association under the stewardship of NYC Parks. “They [NYC Parks] supplied the plants and are the ones guiding us,” said Maria Garrett, president of the Fresh Creek Civic Association.
The coalition, which also included a representative from State Senator Roxanne Persaud’s office, transplanted several evergreens, cherry trees and a variety of shrubs as well as sowed some wildflower seeds. “This is a natural area so we have to put in plants that are native,” Garrett who lives nearby and also presides over the Fresh Creek Nature Association, told the Canarsie Courier.
According to NYC Parks, “Native plant ecosystems provide many benefits to New Yorkers such as improved air and water quality, reduced pollution and lower energy costs.”
“And what better time to do this,” Garrett said. “This is Earth Month!”
