On Saturday April 30, 2016 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the Fort Greene Park Conservancy (FGPC) and NYC Parks will celebrate Arbor Day with the launching of the recently updated Fort Greene Park Tree Trail in Brooklyn’s historic Fort Greene Park with guided tours by FGPC staff and NYC Parks’ Urban Park Rangers. Park attendees are encouraged to walk independently along the trail or join a scheduled tour to learn more about some of Brooklyn’s oldest and largest trees.
The Fort Greene Park Tree Trail is a self-guided walking tour that helps park visitors identify and interpret a variety of significant trees with the assistance of a brochure and signs located throughout the park. The trail is composed of 19 stops running north to south along the eastern side of the park, and trail walkers will become familiar with tree species from the American Elm to the Himalayan White Pine. Visitors will also pick up facts along the way, including which trees are planted around the park to keep in tradition of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s original plan for Fort Greene Park. Park visitors are invited to take a walk along the tree trail during all park hours and can find the self-guided tour brochure in the Visitor Center starting on April 30th. Also on launch day, visitors are invited to join FGPC staff on half-hour guided tours at 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., or 3:00 p.m. or attend the NYC Parks Urban Park Ranger “Spring Blossoms” Weekend Adventure Program at 1:00 p.m.
The Fort Greene Park Tree Trail was originally created in 2007, but natural deterioration and every day wear removed many of the signs and posts. FGPC and NYC Parks worked together with additional help from volunteers to streamline the trail, restore posts, design new signs and brochures, and host a launch event for the public on Arbor Day. FGPC will also be sponsoring four free Natural Classroom programs with the Urban Park Rangers in the weeks following the Tree Trail launch for students who live or attend school in the surrounding neighborhoods. The Tree Trail can be accessed from the Myrtle Avenue and Washington Park entrance or the South Portland Avenue and Dekalb Avenue entrance.
