On Arbor Day, last Friday, tree advocates turned out in Union Square to protest what they charge is excessive chopping in city parks. “Arbor Day seemed like the perfect time to expose what’s going on with the destruction of our trees by Mayor Bloomberg’s Parks Department,” said Cathryn Swan. Swan maintains a blog on the ongoing reconstruction of Washington Square Park — https://washingtonsquarepark.wordpress.com — where 11 mature trees have already been felled. She added that as part of the Union Square north plaza upgrade, which had started the previous week, 14 more trees are destined for the chainsaw. Swan decried deforestation going on in other parts of the city, despite Bloomberg’s “Million Trees NYC” initiative, noting that 400 trees have been felled around Yankee Stadium and 105 in East River Park.
