The Great Trees of Central Park
I love Central Park. I live close to its North Woods and often visit the park. Its beauty was a balm and savior to my pandemic-addled soul. I conduct Central Park tours, and, at other times, I stroll randomly along its pastoral and picturesque paths. Over time, I have learned to appreciate the trees I see. There is more of a story than you might expect about them.
On October 17, 1858, the first trees ordered by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the park’s designers, arrived on site. Mr. Olmsted constantly battled with Andrew Haswell Green, the city controller, to procure the trees he envisioned for the site; the trees had to meet Mr. Olmsted’s rigorous standards.
Even if the trees were sub-standard, Mr. Green insisted that Olmsted use them anyway. Olmsted learned that the best way to deal with the situation was to have the trees immediately mulched. Mr. Green was furious, but there was only so much he could do except allow Olmsted to procure more suitable trees.
How Many Trees are in Central Park?
Olmsted planted 171 different tree species, totaling about twenty thousand trees. They planted oaks, American elms, cherries, tulips, sycamores, London planes, and willows. These unique species, each with its own story and characteristics, add a fascinating layer to the park’s rich history.
We often come upon recently downed trees on our Central Park tours. They lie sadly broken on their sides, slowly shedding their bark, trunks wretched dramatically and surprisingly from their roots. Over time, they will decompose, but while they do, they provide habitats for various animals and plants,
Fourteen years ago, on August 18, 2009, a tornado ripped through the North Woods; it blew down five hundred trees and damaged about a thousand, including the two oldest and tallest sycamore trees. Trees do not last forever, and the park’s landscape changes constantly.
During the 1980s, the park suffered severe neglect; the Ramble and North Woods trees went rogue and seeded themselves; some of those specimens continue to grow today. On your Central Park tour, your guide will discuss the remarkable efforts made by the Central Park Conservancy to restore the park to its original beauty. Their dedication and hard work are truly inspiring, and you will see the results of their labor during your tour.
My favorite tree in Central Park is the Humboldt Elm at the 77th & Central Park West Park entrance. This beauty is one of the oldest in the park; its branches reach high into the sky and drop gracefully down to brush the ground.
The Elm stands next to a bust of Friedrich von Humboldt (September 14, 1769 – May 6, 1859), a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and romantic philosophy and science proponent. He understood that all of nature was connected and human actions affected the natural world. The tree is a fitting companion to this great scientist; he’d be honored.
Around the Pool in the park’s Northern section are stately willows, cypresses, tulip trees, elms, oaks, and others. Although trees provide shade and habitats for the numerous birds and other animals in the park, they also offer other not-so-obvious benefits. Their role in maintaining the park’s ecosystem and contributing to our well-being is genuinely remarkable, and we should all be appreciative and respectful of their presence.
One of the park’s most familiar trees is the American Elms. A worldwide blight wiped out most elm trees except in Central Park. On your private tour of NYC, you can stroll the mall. Rising overhead on either side is the world’s largest remaining stand of elm trees. These trees will continue to shine their beauty upon us through careful cultivation and care as we watch them change throughout the seasons.
The Lenape, Manhattan’s indigenous people, used the willow tree bark to treat headaches, backaches, and inflammatory diseases. Later, scientists synthesized Salicylic acid from the tree, a precursor to aspirin. Other medicinal uses for the bark of this tree are as an anti-inflammatory agent, to stop bleeding, and to ease heartburn and stomach ailments. We’ll see Osage Orange and Yew trees; these trees still provide valuable wood and medicines.
Schedule a private tour; you will be surprised and enchanted by what you see and learn.
