Hoboken Students Help the Shade Tree Commission Spruce Up Washington Street Trees

30 students from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken volunteered to help the city’s Shade Tree Commission spruce up Washington Street on Saturday, adding mulch to tree pits and planting ornamental cabbage plants along the way.

The student volunteers were members of the Stevens environmental club and the Phi Sigma Sorority. The students got their hands dirty, cleaning up tree pits, laying down mulch to feed and protect the trees, and aerating the soil to improve the vitality of each tree’s root structure, according to the City of Hoboken.

The City of Hoboken’s Shade Tree Commission is dedicated to ensuring the health and beauty of the Mile Square’s trees. In addition to planting trees, the Shade Tree Commission also advocates for the removal of damaged or hazardous trees, and serves as a resource for Hoboken residents who have questions regarding city trees.

The Commission’s goal is to have “4,000 healthy, well maintained trees on the City and County streets by 2020,” according to the Commission’s webpage.

Here are some guidelines on maintaining healthy street trees, courtesy of the Shade Tree Commission and the City of Hoboken Facebook page.

1. Keep tree pits clean. Keep tree pits free from debris and garbage. Garbage should be put to the curb and not in the tree pit each night. Garbage bags can compact the soil around trees, which blocks oxygen and water from getting to the roots. Leaked chemicals from disposed cleaning supplies, bleaches, oils, and etc. can kill trees.

2. Keep dogs away from trees. Dogs should be curbed to the street. Compaction and waste from walking your dog in tree pits can kill trees. To prevent these issues, consider installing pit guards, plantings and/or mulch. Pet owners tend to respect well cared for tree pits.

3. Do not chain bikes to trees. Bikes and their riders cause significant compaction around trees and bike chains can damage the tree trunk. If bike parking is desired, consider installing a bike rack tree guard, which limits compaction and protects the tree trunk.

4. De-ice sidewalk with salt alternative. Rock salt (sodium chloride) can kill tree roots and corrode sidewalks. Suggested alternatives include calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. Avoid shoveling snow into tree pits and remove snow build-up from snowplows.

Photo and guidelines courtesy of the City of Hoboken Faceboook page.