This week Planting Fields Foundation and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation were pleased to announced that implementation of the recommendations from the Planting Fields Cultural Landscape Report (CLR), completed at the end of 2019, will begin next month, March 2020.
Exactly one year ago the Foundation engaged Heritage Landscapes LLC, a preeminent firm in the field of landscape preservation and stewardship with experience consulting on over fifty Olmsted landscape preservation projects throughout the United States. Heritage Landscapes developed the CLR for Planting Fields, which not only identifies the historic precedent and significance of the landscape, but also sets forth a preservation and management philosophy to inform ongoing landscape stewardship. The report caps off more than a decade of work and collaboration between the Foundation and NYS Parks that originated with the Planting Fields Master Plan, published in 1993. At the end of 2019, the Heritage Landscapes led CLR earned the Merit Award for Landscape Planning & Analysis in the 2019 Connecticut ASLA Professional Awards competition.
The CLR has recommended 9 early action steps, the first of which calls for the restoration of the Beech Copse, a central Olmsted Brothers design element located on the East Lawn. On March 28th, the Long Island Arboricultural Association (LIAA) has arranged for 100 of its members to spend an entire day to remove 15 mostly diseased beech trees, an imperative and unavoidable preventive measure to protect surrounding, healthy plant life. A few weeks later, beginning on April 22nd, Earth Day, and culminating with the Arbor Day Family Festival on April 25th and 26th, 22 new beech trees will be replanted in the same area by a volunteer team from Wonderland Tree Care.
The collaboration between the Planting Fields Foundation, NYS Parks and Heritage Landscapes is a pivotal moment that will have significant long-term benefits to the arboretum. With the completion of the CLR, we now have a clear roadmap for reasonably preserving and enhancing the property’s pre- and post-Coe family era landscape features. These recommendations encourage us to carefully consider the property’s natural heritage value as part of a contemporary and evolving urban landscape. We believe these goals support the long-term preservation of the historic Olmsted landscape while providing opportunities for a more holistic visitor experience at Planting Fields and a more sustainable future.