By Joe Anuta
Nearly three months after a microburst decimated McDonald Park in Forest Hills, the once-shady green space has remained nearly treeless, but the city has a plan.
Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski said the city Parks Department will partner with a nonprofit hopefully to replace the trees by next spring.
“We have been reaching out with different organizations to help with donations for park trees,” she said.
One group that responded was the New York Restoration Project, which will visit the park along with department officials Jan. 7 to assess the damage and devise a plan to replace the trees.
In McDonald Park, 58 trees were destroyed by the storm, and many of them were little-leaf lindens, which gave the park its character, according to Lewandowski.
“They are very nice, ornamental trees that would flower or fruit at different times of the year,” she said, “and would give the park that little extra spark.”
The trees have not been replaced yet because the city focuses on street trees before it deals with foliage in the park. In addition, money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which provides aid in the aftermath of disasters, does not cover trees. And the large plants are not cheap.
The city shops for the replacements in nurseries throughout the tri-state area, where one tree can end up costing anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on its size, age and how it is planted.
If the city has to hire contractors to install the trees, as it does with street trees, the cost will increase. But if residents volunteer to help plant the trees, the process becomes much cheaper.
“We’re hoping that with New York City Restoration, we’ll get a good volunteer effort,” Lewandowski said. “Otherwise, it could be very expensive.”
Lewandowski said the department has also been working with City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) to help restore the park.
“The trees in McDonald Park were devastated by the tornado this fall,” she said. “The storm literally took the ‘forest’ out of ‘Forest Hills,’ and I will work hard to make sure that over time the park is brought back to a place that will again make the community proud.”
Residents who want to help can donate money to the city’s Million Trees Program by calling 311. Forest Hills residents can specify that their donation be put toward the restoration of McDonald Park.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
