Green Fort Greene & Clinton Hill sprang from the Fort Greene Association in mid-2007 with the goal of reducing our neighborhood's contribution to global warming and our use of nonrenewable resources. Our immediate focus has been on measures that everyone could easily adopt and which everyone can see. Much more to come. More ideas most welcome.

Green Fort Greene & Clinton Hill is the good work of your neighbors. Volunteer a small amount of time and together we will make a big difference.

Tending Our Urban Forest

Step-by-Step Tree Planting Instructions

  1. Gently remove the plastic container from the tree so that the soil stays together. At the very base of the trunk, near the top of the soil, there is noticeable widening of the trunk. This area, called the trunk flare, is where the roots begin to branch out. Locate the trunk flare.

  2. Dig a planting hole that is three times the diameter of the container. The depth off the hole should allow the tree to be positioned so that the trunk flare (which was identified in step 1) will sit on the soil surface. If you plant your tree too deep and cover the trunk flare, you risk killing your new tree. Do not place your tree in the planting hole yet.

  3. Examine your new tree's roots. Loosen some of the roots with your fingers. If the roots of your tree have grown very tightly together, take a sharp tool, such as a shovel, and make a few cuts into the roots and soil.

  4. Place the tree in the center of the planting hole as gently as possible to prevent root damage.

  5. Fill the planting hole with six (6) inches of backfill (the soil that was just dug out) and lightly pack. Do not press the soil with your feet. Instead, firmly press the soil with your hands. Repeat until the planting hole is filled.

  6. Create a raised soil "donut" with the remaining soil around the edge of the planting area. This donut is a circular ridge of soil that creates a reservoir for water.

  7. Add three inches of mulch within the donut area. Do not let the mulch touch the trunk of the tree. Mulch touching the trunkflare will suffocate and kill your tree.

  8. Water the tree until the ground and donut are soaked. This will require about 20 gallons of water.