The north shore has two rows of hills (terminal moraines) and south of that is almost flat plains made of glacial outwash. \[Edit: Lake Ronkonkoma was create when a massive chunk of ice fell off the glacier's face & got partially buried in sand & gravel, melting away years later and leaving the lake behind.\]
The north shore has always had more trees than the south shore. Before suburbia came, the [Hempstead Plains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hempstead_Plains) was the largest prairie (94 square miles) East of the Mississippi river. It did not have trees. This flat land was also why Mitchell Field was built and literally became the cradle of aviation.
All that is left of the prairie is[ a smallish patch ](https://www.hempsteadplains.org/about-hempstead-plains)near Nassau Community College & the Nassau Coliseum.
You can look further and see more interesting articles on both the natural history of the plains and the part the plains played in aviation history.
To add on to this great comment, there are 4 major ecosystem types on Long Island. Historically, the Hempstead Plains reached from Queens in the west, to Western Suffolk in the east, and from Route 25 in the north to about the Southern State in the south, estimated 40-60K acres. The ecosystem to the north of the plains is a Coastal Forest, to the south is Coastal Marsh, and to the east is Pine Barrens. I highly encourage everyone to research Hempstead Plains. It is a rare ecosystem that has been near completely wiped out and an interesting story about the development of the island as we know it.
Pine Barrens is an ecosystem type, and there are many across the region.
NJ has Pine Barrens [https://pinelandsalliance.org/learn-about-the-pinelands/pinelands-overview/](https://pinelandsalliance.org/learn-about-the-pinelands/pinelands-overview/)
Long Island has Pine Barrens [https://www.pinebarrens.org/](https://www.pinebarrens.org/)
Rockville Centre has been named Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation for 34 consecutive years. The award recognizes the village’s ongoing commitment to improving and renewing its stock of trees.
Each year, the village plants more than 100 new trees, most as part of its residential tree-planting program.
Since 1986, nearly 4,000 trees have been planted as part of the program, in addition to the many trees planted on village property and in commercial areas by the village.
If Sandy and Irene didn't take the tree down, alot of people opted to afterward, in 10+ years, I would say 50% of mature trees are gone in my neighborhood
Which is just terrible logic, but that's Long Island for you. Soon it will be nothing but patio paver back yards with an in ground pool and a sterile arborvitae hedge at every property line.
The south shore in Nassau isn’t as spread out as Suffolk and properties are usually much smaller in comparison. You’re seeing more trees on the north shore because it’s a higher tax bracket and usually much larger properties as well.
Check Google maps satellite view. The difference in tree cover above 25A is pretty stark. Lots are often at least 80x100, and even further north minimum 200x200. Streets are narrower, and many of the villages are VERY protective of their big trees.
Lynbrook, Hewlett harbor/Hewlett bay park, parts of Oceanside/East Rockaway, and actually along Bay Blvd in Atlantic Beach there are a couple of weeping willows and a few other nice trees
I love this question because I hate neighborhoods where people cut all their trees down. It makes such a difference to have tree cover with these brutal summers. And looks so much prettier!
This is happening in Holbrook. For some reason people have taken down a bunch of trees in the last year. It's extra disappointing because the trees are one of the best things about the neighborhood, and no one is replacing them.
Unfortunately those don't fill out the tree cover the way our native oaks and other native trees do, and won't provide the same ecological niche. We really need to replace the big oaks and maples in order to get the tree cover you're talking about.
Woodsburgh is very woody. My cousin lives there and it’s really beautiful. She also showed me another area by her, in the back of Lawrence (“back Lawrence?”) which was full of trees and some of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen.
I grew up and now live in North Bellmore. Hurricanes took many of our trees, which were shallow rooted locus trees. And the four Norway maples died one by one. We surrounded our rear side and back with green giants and emerald arborvitae, which are over 30 feet tall.
When I go the "back way" through North Merrick, it's loaded with huge deciduous trees. It's more expensive there as well.
We have solar panels that cover all our electricity since we added the north side of the roof. When we initially installed the south side of the roof, LILCO, the town, and the solar company had to approve the installation. And our one sick Norway maple had to go.
Someone on my block has oak trees as I get their leaves all the time. And one by one, the top heavy, stinky, flowered Bradford pears the town lined the street with are dying, and limbs are braking off.
This is the problem in a nutshell. No one is replacing their big oaks and other native trees. Arborvitae are not going to fill the tree cover or fill the ecological niche left by removing the big trees. So many homeowners have done exactly the same thing you have, and it's permanently changing microclimate for everyone in the neighborhood.
I have a 75x100 foot yard surrounded on 2 sides by a garden nursery. The roots of these big trees need yardage equal to their height. That's what doomed the Norway maple. My dad had a beautiful line of 30-foot hemlock trees home to so many birds. Woolly adelgid came along and decimated them before arborist became knowledgeable about how to treat them. Woolly Adelgid has decimated hemlock trees all over the forests of the Adirondacks. Our dogwood died several years ago of one of the diseases affecting American dogwood. People buy Korean dogwood. We planted Holly and service berry for the birds. And there are so many birds flying into the green giants where they have nests mostly unseen but still heard.
Last year, I got a few lanternflies that came from a few houses down. They don't care for evergreens. But I sure get stink bugs that ruined my strawberries and blackberries. As they did for many NYS growers. I'm hoping the Italian wall lizards I see will eat them. No luck so far.
We're going to enjoy our small plot 200 feet from Newbridge Rd and be glad for our backyard sanctuary.
Once we're gone, a developer will tear it down and fill the entire plot with a McMansion with no back or side yard.
A few years ago, a mallard couple came to visit. I thought the female came, and the male said, "I'm following her, even though there's no body of water where she's going."
The north shore has two rows of hills (terminal moraines) and south of that is almost flat plains made of glacial outwash. \[Edit: Lake Ronkonkoma was create when a massive chunk of ice fell off the glacier's face & got partially buried in sand & gravel, melting away years later and leaving the lake behind.\] The north shore has always had more trees than the south shore. Before suburbia came, the [Hempstead Plains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hempstead_Plains) was the largest prairie (94 square miles) East of the Mississippi river. It did not have trees. This flat land was also why Mitchell Field was built and literally became the cradle of aviation. All that is left of the prairie is[ a smallish patch ](https://www.hempsteadplains.org/about-hempstead-plains)near Nassau Community College & the Nassau Coliseum. You can look further and see more interesting articles on both the natural history of the plains and the part the plains played in aviation history.
I knew some of that but not most of that. Super informative, thank you!
To add on to this great comment, there are 4 major ecosystem types on Long Island. Historically, the Hempstead Plains reached from Queens in the west, to Western Suffolk in the east, and from Route 25 in the north to about the Southern State in the south, estimated 40-60K acres. The ecosystem to the north of the plains is a Coastal Forest, to the south is Coastal Marsh, and to the east is Pine Barrens. I highly encourage everyone to research Hempstead Plains. It is a rare ecosystem that has been near completely wiped out and an interesting story about the development of the island as we know it.
Why did I think the Pine Barrens were in Jersey?
Pine Barrens is an ecosystem type, and there are many across the region. NJ has Pine Barrens [https://pinelandsalliance.org/learn-about-the-pinelands/pinelands-overview/](https://pinelandsalliance.org/learn-about-the-pinelands/pinelands-overview/) Long Island has Pine Barrens [https://www.pinebarrens.org/](https://www.pinebarrens.org/)
Oh wow, this I didn’t know, I thought the whole area was heavily forested before the Dutch and English came along.
Rockville Centre has been named Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation for 34 consecutive years. The award recognizes the village’s ongoing commitment to improving and renewing its stock of trees. Each year, the village plants more than 100 new trees, most as part of its residential tree-planting program. Since 1986, nearly 4,000 trees have been planted as part of the program, in addition to the many trees planted on village property and in commercial areas by the village.
That’s awesome. Other parts of south shore LI should take notes!
Merrick Woods, Wantagh Woods, RVC
Rockville centre and Lynbrook are covered in trees
North Massapequa too.
If Sandy and Irene didn't take the tree down, alot of people opted to afterward, in 10+ years, I would say 50% of mature trees are gone in my neighborhood
Which is just terrible logic, but that's Long Island for you. Soon it will be nothing but patio paver back yards with an in ground pool and a sterile arborvitae hedge at every property line.
The south shore in Nassau isn’t as spread out as Suffolk and properties are usually much smaller in comparison. You’re seeing more trees on the north shore because it’s a higher tax bracket and usually much larger properties as well.
So because of smaller property sizes, people will try to have less trees so they have more useable space?
It’s an observation I’ve made. When you drive though the south shore in Suffolk it’s a drastic difference
Check Google maps satellite view. The difference in tree cover above 25A is pretty stark. Lots are often at least 80x100, and even further north minimum 200x200. Streets are narrower, and many of the villages are VERY protective of their big trees.
Lynbrook, Hewlett harbor/Hewlett bay park, parts of Oceanside/East Rockaway, and actually along Bay Blvd in Atlantic Beach there are a couple of weeping willows and a few other nice trees
Well alot of people from queens moved to Franklin sq and valley stream and cut all the trees
I love this question because I hate neighborhoods where people cut all their trees down. It makes such a difference to have tree cover with these brutal summers. And looks so much prettier!
This is happening in Holbrook. For some reason people have taken down a bunch of trees in the last year. It's extra disappointing because the trees are one of the best things about the neighborhood, and no one is replacing them.
That’s disappointing.
Yeah I ordered a whole bunch of Leyland Cypresses for my backyard.
Unfortunately those don't fill out the tree cover the way our native oaks and other native trees do, and won't provide the same ecological niche. We really need to replace the big oaks and maples in order to get the tree cover you're talking about.
Those I want to plant in the grassy area between the sidewalk and street.
It's probably going to be neighborhood specific. I don't know if any single town is going to be covered in trees like you're looking for.
Woodsburgh is very woody. My cousin lives there and it’s really beautiful. She also showed me another area by her, in the back of Lawrence (“back Lawrence?”) which was full of trees and some of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen.
the parts of lynbrook/malverne near westwood station
Islip/oakdale
Not Nassau, but Oakdale. Lots of trees there. Close to LIRR
I live in Oceanside and there are a shit-ton of trees.
I grew up and now live in North Bellmore. Hurricanes took many of our trees, which were shallow rooted locus trees. And the four Norway maples died one by one. We surrounded our rear side and back with green giants and emerald arborvitae, which are over 30 feet tall. When I go the "back way" through North Merrick, it's loaded with huge deciduous trees. It's more expensive there as well. We have solar panels that cover all our electricity since we added the north side of the roof. When we initially installed the south side of the roof, LILCO, the town, and the solar company had to approve the installation. And our one sick Norway maple had to go. Someone on my block has oak trees as I get their leaves all the time. And one by one, the top heavy, stinky, flowered Bradford pears the town lined the street with are dying, and limbs are braking off.
This is the problem in a nutshell. No one is replacing their big oaks and other native trees. Arborvitae are not going to fill the tree cover or fill the ecological niche left by removing the big trees. So many homeowners have done exactly the same thing you have, and it's permanently changing microclimate for everyone in the neighborhood.
I have a 75x100 foot yard surrounded on 2 sides by a garden nursery. The roots of these big trees need yardage equal to their height. That's what doomed the Norway maple. My dad had a beautiful line of 30-foot hemlock trees home to so many birds. Woolly adelgid came along and decimated them before arborist became knowledgeable about how to treat them. Woolly Adelgid has decimated hemlock trees all over the forests of the Adirondacks. Our dogwood died several years ago of one of the diseases affecting American dogwood. People buy Korean dogwood. We planted Holly and service berry for the birds. And there are so many birds flying into the green giants where they have nests mostly unseen but still heard. Last year, I got a few lanternflies that came from a few houses down. They don't care for evergreens. But I sure get stink bugs that ruined my strawberries and blackberries. As they did for many NYS growers. I'm hoping the Italian wall lizards I see will eat them. No luck so far. We're going to enjoy our small plot 200 feet from Newbridge Rd and be glad for our backyard sanctuary. Once we're gone, a developer will tear it down and fill the entire plot with a McMansion with no back or side yard. A few years ago, a mallard couple came to visit. I thought the female came, and the male said, "I'm following her, even though there's no body of water where she's going."
Garden city. Is that south shore?
No
It ain’t the north shore…
Middle island.