By Carol P. Bartold     

Feb. 3, 2016:  Faced with the loss of several street trees in Bronxville's downtown business district, as well as some trees still in place that do not function as effective street trees, the village is developing a strategy to retrofit with plantings more appropriate for each block.

The comprehensive project will not only enhance the downtown business district streetscape, but it will also foster longer lives for street trees and improve pedestrian safety on the sidewalks.

According to village resident and landscape architect Maureen Hackett, the plan and design will consider the downtown business district holistically and will include an array of finishes, colors, designs, and styles that will be the best fit for each block. She emphasized that, rather than repeating the same planting from block to block, each block's needs should be considered on its own.

"The vocabulary, the selection of tree variety, can depend on the space available and, ultimately, on what kind of tree would look best," Hackett said.

Factors to be considered along with the design considerations, Hackett added, are the varying conditions, typical in any community, that exist block to block. Sidewalks in the downtown business district are of varying widths, she pointed out. "We have, for the most part, relatively narrow sidewalks," she said.

Locations of crosswalks, fire hydrants, utilities, and gas lines are also conditions that vary from block to block and will affect street tree retrofitting.

New tree varieties planted downtown include Carpinus trees (also known as hornbeams) on Kraft Avenue, which blend with the street's architecture. Gary Reetz, president of the Bronxville Beautification Council, noted that, with proper pruning, the Carpinus trees will grow in a columnar fashion. "There is an illusion that those trees are taking up more space on the street," Maureen Hackett said, "but they're really not. Pedestrians have more room to walk now than they did before."

New oak trees on Pondfield Road, said Reetz, will provide an attractive canopy without creating an acorn problem.

Future tree possibilities, according to Hackett, could include oak trees or elm trees near the corner of Kraft Avenue and Park Place where the sidewalk widens and there is room for larger trees.

As part of the plan to provide street trees with the best conditions for growth and long life, tree wells for the new plantings have been expanded to increase the square footage available for root development, retrofitted with special soil and starter materials to promote tree health, and covered with Flexi-Pave Tree Surround. The one hundred percent porous tree well covering is made from gravel, recycled tires diverted from landfills, and a binding agent. The Flexi-Pave surface allows water and oxygen to reach each tree's root system and will not girdle the tree as iron grates do. In addition to preserving the optimum soil profile for the trees, the surface also filters water, preventing phosphorous and nitrates from getting into the root system.

Village Administrator Jim Palmer pointed out that the Flexi-Pave surface provides a flush transition to the concrete sidewalks adjacent to the trees, eliminating a pedestrian tripping hazard.

Hackett stated that perhaps five to ten tree locations on the street can be addressed each year, whether the work involves adding new trees, replacing damaged trees, or retrofitting existing trees.

Overall, Reetz added, the retrofitting done to date has proven successful and will serve as a template for future plantings. "It is our intention to harmonize plantings for the future to give the downtown a more uniform appearance."

Pictured here:  One of the new tree wells installed in the business district to protect trees.  

Photo by N. Bower