On a day when street trees all over Brooklyn and Queens have been ripped out of their pits, shorn of their limbs, or cracked in two, “Alternate Side Mulching is in Effect Today!” seems like the right choice to kick off our Park(ing) Day photographic coverage. This installation on Vernon Boulevard between 48th Ave and 49th Ave is a collaboration between the Queens Botanical Garden, the NYC Compost Project, and MillionTreesNYC. Here’s their description from the official map of Park(ing) Day 2010:

Our park(ing) spot focuses on the importance of street tree care and composting in the city. The majority of the parking spot will demonstrate the drip-line of a street tree and the point to which it’s roots would extend in a natural environment. We will be mulching this entire area. With the tree, we will have information on MillionTreesNYC and offer mini-street tree care workshops throughout the day. We will also be highlighting composting in the city with the NYC Compost Project in Queens. We will be demonstrating indoor and outdoor composting, providing literature and have supplies to make compost cookies. The livable streets concepts that we are focusing on are: storm water run-off, urban waste reduction, daylighting corners, extending green space and the importance of street trees to our health and well-being.

We’ll have more Park(ing) Day pics throughout the day. If you’ve got photos you want to share, tag them “Streetsblog” on Flickr or holler @StreetsblogNYC.