Queens residents asked to weigh in on where to plant $100,000 worth of trees
NEW YORK -- They have the green to add more green, but the Queens borough president's office is asking those who live in the borough for some help.
His office is investing $100,000 in trees that will be planted around Queens.
CBS2's John Dias learned why this is important and how you can help point them in the right direction.
It may be her last name, but Marjory Schade can't seem to find any shade by her house.
"The front of my house is boiling hot most of the day, because there are no trees on my block," she said.
So the College Point woman has no other choice but to head several blocks away to Hermon A. MacNeil Park for a stroll out of the sun with her friend Lauren Ortiz.
"I live across the street from a park, but it's literally a cement box and it's just completely beamed by the sun," Ortiz said.
It's a unique problem many living in Queens face. Experts say the entire borough is lacking trees, but especially College Point, Flushing and parts of southeast Queens, which they have deemed as "hot zones."
"They haven't been invested in and they need to be, specifically for climate resiliency and specifically for beautification," said Katherine Brezler, the strategic advisor for the Queens borough president.
She is helping to spearhead his novel efforts to add $100,000 worth of trees to the borough, saying it's not just needed for finding shelter from the sun, but also to help with floods after a storm.
"We cannot be amiss to not mention how much drainage issues we have here in Queens and how thirsty trees can be," Brezler said.
While preference will be given to the heat zones first, the borough president's office is now crowdsourcing to see where other trees should be planted, calling on borough residents to go online and recommend the spots.
"Trees are not a one-time investment. It is a long-term investment in your community, which means communities should not feel like this is something the city does but it is a partnership," Brezler said.
Dias already asked some residents where they want to see them.
"I would definitely say parks and more on the sidewalks," College Point resident Jurg Stiger said.
"Could be by bus stops," College Point resident Gwen Green said.
If all goes according to schedule, most of the trees will start to get planted in the spring of 2023.
The funding is part of the Million More Tree initiative, which is an effort to plant 1 million trees across the city by 2030.
Residents have until Tuesday, Oct. 18, to submit their suggestions. To suggest a location, click here.
