A Street Tree System for New York City 77 



the conditions do not resemble those in Manhattan as much 

 as the Paris conditions do. 



The city of Newark, N. J., spends fifty cents per tree per 

 year for its street tree maintenance. The Newark trees are 

 extremely well maintained, but the majority of their trees 

 are grown in grass parkings under the best conditions, and 

 also the number of old trees is small, so that the cost of re- 

 movals is at a minimum. 



In Buffalo, with even better growing conditions where the 

 trees nearly all exist on parkways or residential streets with 

 wide parkings, and also where the number of removals is 

 small, the cost is but twenty-five cents per tree. 



In New Haven the cost of maintenance is approximately 

 thirty cents per tree. Here again growing conditions are 

 excellent, and the increased cost over that of Buffalo is prob- 

 ably due to the greater number of removals made necessary 

 because of the great preponderance of aged trees in New 

 Haven. In all of these cities conditions are much better 

 than those of New York — and the cost figures under the 

 conditions of Paris as noted above are of much more value 

 as a means of comparison. Considering these factors, an 

 estimate of $1 per tree per year would certainly seem to be 

 a minimum estimate for maintaining trees in Manhattan 

 streets. If we assume this figure, we would then require, to 

 maintain the existing 15,000 trees in Manhattan, an original 

 appropriation for maintenance alone of $15,000 per year. 

 This sum would increase with the increase due to the annual 

 planting increase of 500 trees, $500 per year until the 

 system was complete. 



The Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond^ according to 

 the figures of the last annual report, received a budget ap- 

 propriation for the care of trees in streets amounting in 

 round numbers to $18,000. As the greater part of this 

 sum is expended in Manhattan it should be practically suffi- 

 cient for first-class maintenance under proper street tree or- 

 ganization. However, under the present arrangement the 

 same forces have charge of tree maintenance in both streets 



