Why Were Roosevelt Island Trees On Promenade Cut Down Earlier This Week Ask Residents - RIOC Says It Was For Necessary Rejuvenation Pruning

Or cutting down trees say some residents pic.twitter.com/w9ywUwZSG2

— Roosevelt Islander (@Rooseveltisland) July 10, 2020

Roosevelt Island residents care passionately about our trees so when any are spotted being removed alarm bells ring. Last Wednesday was such a day when residents spotted trees and bushes being cut on the waterfront promenade near Eleanor's Pier.

The  Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) explains what was going on:

RIOC Working for You: Rejuvenation Pruning

On Wednesday, July 8th, led by our Director of Landscaping and Horticulture, Matthew Kibby, the RIOC Grounds Department performed rejuvenation pruning of overgrown Ilex glabra (Inkberry) plants in the vicinity of Eleanor’s Pier.

The overgrowth in the area was infringing upon benches and the walkway along the promenade. Inkberry were also shading out other area plantings and inhibiting visibility, including views of the river. RIOC began this process by cutting back half of these Inkberry plants in March 2020. This work was scheduled to be completed Thursday, July 9th.

In addition, tree pruning was also completed from the Ferry Landing north, to the south dog run, which was needed due to minimal visibility in that location.

Pruning is a horticultural and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. Pruning is an invaluable tool for developing and maintaining woody plants.

Rejuvenation pruning is the removal of old, overgrown limbs so that the plant can grow new, vigorous branches in their place. Plants that require rejuvenation can be hard pruned or pruned gradually. Hard pruning involves cutting the shrub off to a height of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30.5 cm). This particular pruning was performed at the areas mentioned above.

There are several objectives when doing regular pruning on Inkberry:

• To remove dead or damaged branches
• To maintain the proper height and shape
• To keep the plant green from the ground up, (not leggy)

RIOC will release details on future pruning plans as they become available.

Thank you to RIOC Board Member Howard Polivy for suggesting the RIOC Working For You initiative.

The Roosevelt Island Twitterverse reported:

Roosevelt Island:
From Tree City USA to Chopped City USA! @SenatorSerrano @SeawrightForNY @RepMaloney @LouForAll @ChrisSosa @ShimamuraTricia @kimmosc @NYGovCuomo @wffny @arborday @NY1 @NBCNewYork @ABC @NPR @1010WINS @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/ISdMkpf5OX

— Wildlife Freedom Foundation (@wffny) July 8, 2020

Roosevelt Island -
From Tree City USA to Chopped City USA! @SenatorSerrano @SeawrightForNY @RepMaloney @LouForAll @ChrisSosa @ShimamuraTricia @kimmosc @NYGovCuomo @wffny #environment #savethetrees #climatechange pic.twitter.com/37P4uamJFq

— Wildlife Freedom Foundation (@wffny) July 8, 2020

Trees are starting to come down in other areas of Roosevelt Island! @RIOCny @NYGovCuomo @wffny @RI_Daily pic.twitter.com/QpOoiDcTgr

— Lou Puliafito (@LouForAll) July 9, 2020