$1 million grant will spur Hoboken to expand its tree canopy coverage which stands at 13%, far behind most urban areas

The Urban & Community Forestry Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service has awarded the City of Hoboken a $1 million grant aimed at expanding and maintaining the City’s tree canopy. The project will plant 300 new and replacement trees in public spaces and provide training and employment opportunities for local residents. To carry out this project, the City will establish a Division of Urban Forestry.

Shade trees are a critical component of a city’s infrastructure. In addition to their aesthetic value and ability to lower temperatures, they provide many other benefits. Through photosynthesis, shade trees sequester carbon dioxide and provide oxygen, essential to human life. Large trees have the capacity to take up significant volumes of water, reducing storm-water runoff and providing flood resiliency. They also remove pollutants from the air, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, improving air quality and creating a healthier environment. Expanding a city’s tree canopy coverage is an essential strategy for combating climate change.

The Fund for a Better Waterfront (FBW) has worked closely with landscape architects and has long been an advocate for canopy trees. FBW’s 1990 Plan for the Hoboken Waterfront proposed continuous rows of shade trees at the water’s edge. Recently, FBW worked closely with the City of Hoboken, successfully pushing for continuous rows of canopy trees as part of the Sinatra Drive Project that will be built next year. Unfortunately, the City has ignored FBW’s 2023 proposal for a wide tree-lined public median traversing 15th Street as part of the North End Redevelopment Plan.

Built in the late 1990s, the award-winning Pier A Park included a grove of 97 London plane trees, and the promenade from Newark to Fourth Streets features another 200 canopy trees. Later, as part of the 9-11 Memorial, 56 ginkgo trees were added to Pier A. Unfortunately, since that time, the City of Hoboken has squandered opportunities to further increase its tree canopy:

• Opened in 2007, the north end of Maxwell Place Park is an expanse of concrete with few trees. 
• The London plane trees at Maxwell Place Park were uprooted during Superstorm Sandy and again after Hurricane Isaias due to inadequate soil volumes and depths.
• Completed in 2008, Castle Point Park is largely devoid of tree coverage. 
• When Sinatra Park was rebuilt in 2013, the London plane trees along the walkway were replaced with small ornamental trees, a number of which have died. 
• Excessive use of sodium chloride rock salt during winter months along the walkway at the South Waterfront led to the loss of scores of London plane trees.
• The recently built parks on the western part of town have limited shade tree coverage.