Press Releases

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe today joined Council Member Erik Dilan and students from St. Peter’s Evangelical School to celebrate the 140th Arbor Day, as well as an allocation of $1.25 million funded by the Council Member to supplement the Trees & Sidewalks program throughout Brooklyn’s 37th Council District. After the speaking program, there was a tree watering and cement-pouring ceremony.

“Since MillionTreesNYC was launched in 2007, more than 562,000 new trees have been planted across the five boroughs, making our city greener and healthier,” said Commissioner Benepe. “Trees need our help to survive in an urban environment, and Arbor Day is a tree-rrific time to pitch in. We are grateful for Council Member Dilan’s support of trees and his dedication to their well-being.”

“It is a pleasure to announce this program on Arbor Day,” said Council Member Dilan. “We hope that through this program pedestrians and homeowners can better appreciate our trees. This program allows trees to flourish in the urban environment that we live in.”

Council Member Dilan’s allocation will be used to repair sidewalks located at 373 residential properties through the Trees & Sidewalks program. Repairs generally involve removing damaged concrete, expanding the tree pit and installing resilient concrete in the surrounding sections of sidewalk in order to accommodate future root growth. This work not only makes for a safer sidewalk for pedestrians, but helps to ensure healthy growth for the trees affected.

Parks’ Trees & Sidewalks Program is a free program to help homeowners repair sidewalks damaged by curbside trees while minimizing the impact of the sidewalk repair to the tree. Only one-, two-, and three-family homes occupied by the owner (NYC Tax Class 1) with sidewalks affected by the roots of their curbside trees are eligible for this program. Since the program began in 2005, more than $18 million has been spent fixing more than 9,200 trees & sidewalks throughout the City.

Council Member Dilan’s support of this program is in addition to the nearly $17 million he has allocated towards capital improvements to his district’s parks, playgrounds and greenspaces since entering office in 2002.

Arbor Day was founded by J. Sterling Morton and first Arbor Day was celebrated on April 10, 1872 with the planting of an estimated one million trees. Within a decade, the holiday spread internationally. Each year on the last Friday in April, trees are planted in communities around the world. Some are in honor or memory of people, within gardens, parks and forests.