I've enjoyed the dialogue about the parks. Never have been there, but
one thing to consider about ageing the trees is the prior use of the
park. Down here in Savannah, the squares and old parks date back to
the original settling of the area in the 1730's, but the trees are not
that old as the parks/squares were laid out as commons and were used
for gardens and livestock for the residents around them up until well
after the war between the states. As such they were devoid of trees as
many of the old photos of the late 19th century show. Perhaps the
residents of NY were a bit more sophisticated, but it seems I have
read where even in NYC they used central park area for grazing well
into the 19th century. Also consider that the population of the city
was perhaps only 25 thousand at the time of the revolution and
probably didn't occupy but the lower tip of the island or perhaps the
adjacent waterfront areas leaving the rest to whatever pursuits
including the cutting of firewood and grazing.
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Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org
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