05/05/2021
Earth Day and Arbor Day – April is truly the environmental month! Of course, Arbor Day is the grandmother of conservation celebrations. First proposed in 1872, and adopted in 45 states by 1920 – today the Arbor Day Foundation continues to support tree planting across America! But let’s get back to local history and the greening of Ridgewood. Do you remember our post a few weeks ago on Linden Street? Do you remember when there were very few street trees in Ridgewood? Paul Kerzner, local community activist, has been supporting tree planting in Ridgewood since the 1970’s. In 1970, then Mayor John Lindsay started a program to plant street trees. It required citizen volunteers to convince at least ten homeowners within an approximate one block radius to each give a $20.00 donation and the City would match it $180.00 to plant a tree in front of their property. Paul organized 127 volunteers/home owners to donate the $20.00 and to canvass the nearby blocks to do the same. Over a period of four years, $70,020.00 was raised for the program to plant 3,501 trees.
After the program ended, because of the City’s fiscal crisis, Paul lobbied every year for Federal Community Block Grant funds and after four years of trying he was able to get an allocation from Congress to plant 800 trees that first year.
Then every year after, Paul successfully testified before the Federal Community Block Grant overseeing Committee for street tree funding.
Paul also testified before NYC Council members and Queens Borough Presidents for capital funding to plant street trees in Ridgewood and the surrounding neighborhoods. As of 2020, 49 years after he started, Paul has been responsible for the planting of over 25,000 street trees in Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village.
Earth Day and Arbor Day – April is truly the environmental month! Of course, Arbor Day is the grandmother of conservation celebrations. First proposed in 1872, and adopted in 45 states by 1920 – today the Arbor Day Foundation continues to support tree planting across America! But let’s get back to local history and the greening of Ridgewood. Do you remember our post a few weeks ago on Linden Street? Do you remember when there were very few street trees in Ridgewood? Paul Kerzner, local community activist, has been supporting tree planting in Ridgewood since the 1970’s. In 1970, then Mayor John Lindsay started a program to plant street trees. It required citizen volunteers to convince at least ten homeowners within an approximate one block radius to each give a $20.00 donation and the City would match it $180.00 to plant a tree in front of their property. Paul organized 127 volunteers/home owners to donate the $20.00 and to canvass the nearby blocks to do the same. Over a period of four years, $70,020.00 was raised for the program to plant 3,501 trees.
After the program ended, because of the City’s fiscal crisis, Paul lobbied every year for Federal Community Block Grant funds and after four years of trying he was able to get an allocation from Congress to plant 800 trees that first year.
Then every year after, Paul successfully testified before the Federal Community Block Grant overseeing Committee for street tree funding.
Paul also testified before NYC Council members and Queens Borough Presidents for capital funding to plant street trees in Ridgewood and the surrounding neighborhoods. As of 2020, 49 years after he started, Paul has been responsible for the planting of over 25,000 street trees in Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village.
