The selections of plants and trees existing on Governors Island today are a result of the influence of both people and nature. The Island’s familiar mix of lawns, canopy of shade trees, and lovely ornamentals suited the Island’s historic purpose as a military and Coast Guard base. The Historic District’s protected conditions, higher elevations and quality top soils make for ideal conditions to grow large, beautiful shade trees and support other plantings. On the southern half of the Island, poor quality soil, exposure to harsh salty winds, and poor draining soils have resulted in the stunted and stressed condition of existing trees. The diagram above illustrates the overall planting strategy that West 8 and Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects are developing, which privileges the selection of native plants, but also considers species that 1) thrive in the Island’s challenging site conditions, 2) support the plan’s programming (like ball sports, picnicking and relaxing), 3) diversifies plant communities for insects and birds, and 4) require maintenance that’s appropriate to a public park. The strategy also addresses existing conditions in order to dramatically enhance the park experience and habitat potential of the southern portion of the Island. The West 8 team will choose plants that thrive in the Island’s complex micro climates, and raise parts of the Island’s topography to assure that tree roots are above predicted flood elevations. The planting strategy the West 8 Team is developing for the Park and Public Space Master Plan complements the existing botanic variety of the Historic District, increases botanic richness and diversity across the southern half of the Island and integrates the two parts of the Island into a thriving whole.
