New York Guide

New York in recent years has made a few changes in the permitting and vocabulary surrounding their street trees. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation which oversees the city’s street and park trees now refers to the little patch of soil surrounding the street trees “Tree Beds,” formally called “Tree Pits.” A welcome change in our eyes, as the word Tree Beds, similar to Garden Beds, congers up images of lush plantings and promise. Nobody is going to envision these beautiful thoughts when using the word “Pits.”

The new permitting process is all online. Gone are the days where you are manually hand writing and faxing in a permit. The Parks Department implemented a permitting process to ensure the health of street trees and safety of pedestrians, while at the same time being conscious of drivers ability to exit their vehicles. The online permit can be found at https://www.nycgovparks.org/trees/tree-care/tree-guards or for street tree information in general, visit Trees New York.