A crowdfunding effort to protect one of the vulnerable trees along the perimeter of Tompkins Square Park is (as of last night) just a few dollars shy of its $2,000 goal.
The campaign was organized by Zachary Thomas and Tal Roded, who serve together on Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee. Their goal: to install a durable metal tree guard around a Ginkgo tree on Seventh Street near Avenue B, which is currently exposed to the daily grind.
Enter tree guards, which help protect against dog waste, vehicle and delivery damage, and soil compaction from foot traffic, all of which can slowly kill a tree.
Last year, according to the GoFundMe, while walking the park's perimeter, Thomas noticed a troubling imbalance: of the 58 trees lining Tompkins Square Park, only seven had guards. That leaves nearly 90% exposed to damage every day.
NYC Parks is prepared to install a guard, but with limited funding and street tree maintenance low on the priority list, the cost has fallen to the community. The quoted price for the fabrication and professional installation of a standard metal tree guard is $1,950 — a one-time investment that is meant to last for years.
The campaign's success shows just how much neighbors care about the small details that keep the East Village green. It may only be one tree, but it's a step toward protecting the edges of Tompkins Square Park — one guard at a time.
You can read more about this campaign in a Substack post by Thomas and Roded.
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