A giant mound of mulch sits in Bayside where an enormous tree once stood – it blocked this construction. Tribune photo by Ira Cohen A Gray Future? As the borough population steadily increases—the NYC Department of Planning estimates that it will reach 2.8 million by 2025—residents like Phillips wonder if the gray of new buildings will erase the green. Paul Graziano, an independent planning and historic preservation consultant from Flushing, has written new zoning for large swaths of Queens. He works to ensure that a single-family home with a front yard stays that way, even if the piece of land it sits on was originally zoned for a large apartment house. He said the zoning laws of the 1960s made Queens disorganized and allowed detached homes with green property to be replaced by colossal structures. In the last two years, 20,000 properties in Northeast Queens have been rezoned, and it is a change, he said, that finds the key balance between developed and open spaces. “It’s all about how you organize your space,” he said. “Queens has the room to absorb new people… The key to stopping the erosion [of green space] is to make sure those areas are zoned correctly.” Graziano said that although there has been an erosion of green space in Queens, the new zoning, combined with the diligence of the City Parks Department in maintaining the borough’s trees, can combat the ever-encroaching concrete. He said 3,000 trees in Northeast Queens have been destroyed by the Asian Long-Horned beetle, and it’s important for them to be replaced. Is The Trend Reversible? Maintaining this suburban atmosphere inside an urban setting is even more important than creating one. Nina Bassuk, director of the Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University, has worked in New York City figuring out how trees can best survive. “It’s stressful for trees, in between curb and sidewalk. There’s very little soil for trees,” she said. Sidewalks often obstruct tree root extension and poor planting methods don’t allow trees to grow to their beneficial maximum height. Bassuk designs special soil that isn’t compacted by pavement and gives tree roots room to meander. Creating porous asphalt is another goal for Bassuk. With this type of pavement, trees can receive the maximum amount of water. Tree selection is also important, she said, and she helps cities choose trees that can thrive in certain sites. All this will give trees a better chance of surviving in the harsh city environment. As the Queens landscape is inevitably painted a little more gray from development, there is the risk that the vibrant colors of the borough’s neighborhoods will become just a memory. For Phillips it already is. “When I was a little girl, I used to see a lot of trees. Not anymore. The beauty of Flushing was the trees.” Gennaro said he believes the best green spaces are not in the past. “Everyone’s got to do what they can,” he said. “We have a city that over time will become more green.”

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