re:The pin oak, which doesn't have pin-shaped leaves at all, was so called because part of the wood
in NY (and other norther climates) Pin Oaks also have the habit of not dropping their russetted leaves till the spring.. (that is the characterist i was taught to identify them.. i never knew why they were called pin oaks-thanks WW.)white oak and black oaks were 'harder'--it had to do with the size of acorns as i recall.
i basicly only know 'NY' trees--and only barely at that-- but NY does have a rich variety--NYC is the norther 'limit' for many southern species, and the southern limit for many norther trees--so there are many varieties!
Samual Parsons -in the early days (1700's) owned a 'garden center/aborium' in Flushing (Queens county)--which was at that time not part of NYC- he specialized in 'exotics'--but 'hardy' trees. His trees live on... Weeping beeching-a normal 'rare variety of tree' is almost common in Queens-some grow 'wild' as street trees. Central Park is another home to great trees--Osago Orange trees (right at the 81st and CPW West enterance to the part there is a small 'grove' with a dozen or so tree.) --and some of the largest trees(of their species)in all of NY State, can be found growing in NYC(according to some federal agency--it was a front page story in NYTimes about 3 years ago!)
HUGE parts of NYC are nothing but concrete-- but NYC (and NYS ) has a long history of creating park land, and protecting it. (the only native, natural wet land left on Long island north shore is in NYC--all the other ones 'have been improved' into beaches and golf courses.)
and on the south shore, a large part of the great jamaica bay is now a federal park of (of several thousand acres!) --albeit, a large part of park is underwater at high tide--called 'Gateway National Park'--its part of many birds migrations routes-and a bird watcher paradice. the park contains about half of the island that make up the archepeligo that is NYC (about 350 islands, 30 to 40 of which are inhabited, (and a small chunk of the US Mainland--the bronx)
NYS has the largest percentage (and close to the largest acrage) in US preserved as park land--only 'federal park land is bigger--(no other state has as much state designated park land)
the NYS park land is protected by NYS constitution, and it requires a constitutional ammendment to 'free park land'--in 100 years, NYS has 'freed' less than 100 acres(and those acres have resulted in huge political battles!)--
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