Council Member John C. Liu, a member of the Education Committee, has
been a strong advocate for new school construction to relieve
overcrowding and enhance educational opportunities for all students.
That doesn't mean every one of our trees has to be destroyed in the
process.  By making the effort to protect trees where possible, we
also ensure a better environment and quality of life for our
neighborhoods.
 

For more information, please see excerpts of recent news reports below.
 

Barbara Baruch
Constituent Services Manager
Office of Council Member John C. Liu
 

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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: "Tree lovers warn city not to down elm"
<http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/queens/2007/07/11/2007-07-11_tree...>
 

EXCERPT-
City Councilman John Liu and Flushing residents don't want to hear
"Timber!" twice.
 

This year, a stately copper leaf beech tree fell victim to the New
York City School Construction Authority's long-planned project to
build Public School 244 on Franklin Ave. in Flushing.
 

Now, Liu and neighborhood residents want to make sure that a
century-old wych elm growing on the same school lot does not suffer
the beech's fate.
 

"This tree is part of our Flushing family, like all of us are," Liu
said to a score of tree-hugging locals at a press conference Monday
underneath the shade of the wych elm. "We want to see that nothing
happens to this tree."
 

Carsten Glaeser, a consulting arborist who was at the press
conference, said that elms - once one of the most common hardwoods in
the Northeast - are rare in the New York City area due in large part
to the beetle-borne Dutch elm disease.
 

The wych elm, located on Franklin Ave. near the sidewalk at the corner
of the school property, appears to be resistant to Dutch elm disease
and likely has many years left to live, Glaeser added.
 

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TIMES LEDGER: "Flushing residents urge city to save old elm tree"
<htp://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18578874&BRD=2676&PAG=461&de...>
 

EXCERPT-
Several community members in Flushing braved near 100-degree heat
Monday afternoon to demand the protection of one of the few things
that offers some respite during the intense summer sun: a 100-year-old
elm tree.
 

City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) and state Assemblywoman Ellen
Young (D-Flushing) joined local arborists, students and residents in
the shade of a massive Wych Elm tree on Franklin Avenue near the
corner of Kissena Boulevard, where the city School Construction
Authority has recently begun building an early childhood center that
claimed the life of another rare tree in May.
 

Young said the SCA needs to act with more care when doing construction
on sites around the city to ensure vital and irreplaceable components
of local ecosystems go unharmed.
 

"Not every area of this city needs to be sheathed in concrete," Young
said. "Especially here in Queens, there are green areas that we
cherish as much as any of New York City's architectural wonders."
 

The small construction site will be the future home of PS 244Q, an
early childhood center for which both Liu and Young expressed support.
Liu said, however, that during initial construction in May the SCA
tore down a rare Copperleaf Beech tree despite protests from the
community.
 

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QUEENS CHRONICLE: "City, Save This Tree Flushing Residents Ask
<http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18579668&BRD=2731&PAG=461&d...>
 

EXCERPT-
On the hottest day of the year, the Flushing community rallied to save
a rare old elm tree and found shade under its branches.
 

Councilman John Liu, who represents the area, noted that two years ago
the SCA had promised to save a century-old copper leaf beech tree at
the site. "But two months ago they started trimming the branches and
the next thing you know, the tree is gone. They said two arborists had
indicated it was a hazard," the councilman said. "People are upset."
 

Liu does not want the same thing to happen to the Wych elm tree, which
is considered a rare species in the city. "We are all for the mayor's
plan to add trees in the city, but we must retain the ones we already
have," he said.
 

Assemblywoman Ellen Young asked that the SCA ensure the safety of the
elm "so we can all breathe a little easier." She noted that trees not
only beautify neighborhoods, they provide habitats for wildlife and
purify the air.
 

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QUEENS GAZETTE: "Rally For 100-Year-Old Elm Tree"
<http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007/0711/features/029.html>
 

EXCERPT-
A maximum effort to protect a historic Wych Elm Tree in Flushing was
urged by City Councilmember John Liu on Monday.
 

Liu (D- Flushing) said the 100-year-old tree is located at Franklin
Avenue between Colden Street and Kissena Boulevard in Flushing. It is
on the site of a School Construction Authority (SCA) project, he said,
and explained that another irreplaceable tree had been damaged
recently on another SCA project site.
 

In the present case, the SCA project is construction of P.S. 244,
which the community supports, but, Liu said, he and local residents
insist that every effort must be made to protect the Wych Elm".