Contact: Colleen Roche or Kim Serafin (212) 788-2958
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today joined local community leaders and other elected officials in McCarren Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn to begin replanting the hundreds of trees destroyed by the infestation of the Asian Longhorned Beetle.
"The City of New York is committed to the care and preservation of the City's trees," said Mayor Giuliani. "The damage done by the Asian Longhorned Beetle infestation lead to the removal of 688 street and park trees in the Greenpoint area. Now, through an innovative partnership with New York State and the United States Department of Agriculture Forestry Services, spearheaded by the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management (OEM), we are beginning to replace those fallen trees with new young trees. I also want to than Jerry Hauer, the Director of OEM, and Parks Commissioner Henry Stern for their tireless efforts in turning this problem around rapidly."
"The replacement strategy will be carried out through the spring and again in the early fall so we can increase Greenpoint's green, while shielding New York City from this deadly insect," he continued. "Most importantly, the success of this initiative has been based on the unending support from local community leaders, volunteers and children who have committed thousands of hours to keeping their neighborhood beautiful."
Governor George E. Pataki said, "These plantings along the streets of Greenpoint are the cornerstone of a great urban reforestation project that will result in thousands of trees being planted in this neighborhood over the next several years. Trees are not only important for the environment and wildlife, they are an integral part of the quality of life of urban neighborhoods. Today's plantings are just the beginning of a long-term commitment by my Administration and Mayor Giuliani to the regreening of Greenpoint."
City, State and Federal replanting efforts were funded with $1 million from the City, $1 million from the State, $365,000 from the USDA, and $330,000 from the Federal Small Business Administration.
The Asian Longhorned Beetle was discovered in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in August, 1996 -- the first time it was spotted in North America. The beetle buries itself into the internal vascular system of trees and causes infection. Leading entomologists and officials from City, State and Federal agencies concurred that the only way to prevent the infestation from spreading was to destroy the host trees, which would die eventually anyway. A total of 688 trees (361 public and 327 private) were removed by City foresters and State contracted firms.