In the fashion of the roller coaster (in this case, the "Cyclone"?) that often accompanies action campaigns, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, DSNY, is in the midst of two renovations to Coney Island's famed Boardwalk. Both renovations involve a new and controversial change in the way Parks constructs the boardwalk. The department has begun to put concrete slabs under the Boardwalk, with boards being placed directly "on grade" atop the concrete.

This change will eliminate the 'see-through' aspect of the walkway. Parks decided some time ago to burm up the sand in front of the boardwalk in order to prevent people from going under it. This ended the tradition of sitting under the boards as a way to get out of the sun, a la the famous song, Under the Boardwalk, recorded by The Drifters in 1964.



In a meeting with Rainforest Relief and New York Climate Action Group (NYCAG), Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Deputy Commissioner for Capital Projects Amy Frietag, told us they were considering a concrete slab understructure. This, they said, would allow for the use of recycled plastic lumber (RPL). RPL tends to be more flexible than wood and in the current decking and understructure configuration, won't support the loads of trucks driven on the wooden-planked street.

Rainforest Relief has suggested numerous ways, corroborated by a leading engineer, that RPL can be substituted for the wood, without the need for concrete slabs. But Parks has never heeded our suggestions.

They have moved forward with a change that is relatively permanent, since the concrete slabs will likely last for 60 years or more. Regardless of this change, Parks has chosen to renovate a section of The Pier with recycled plastic lumber decking (see the photo on the Homepage). This is a major step towards eliminating the use of tropical hardwoods by the agency.





However, as the Cyclone dips violently, so has Parks reached a new low and sent yet another crushing blow to the rainforest. Having gone ahead and poured the controversial concrete slab directly in front of the main concessions, Parks chose to deck the walkway with more rainforest wood — directly atop the concrete. This flies in the face of sanity. In this case, the wood appears to be cumaru, ripped from the old growth rainforests of Brazil and Peru.





Signs posted on the fence surrounding the construction state that the wood being put down on the concrete slabs is "sustainably-harvested".





Yet, packages photographed by Tim Keating, Rainforest Relief's director, reveal that much of the wood is originating from an exporter, Bozovich Timber Products, a company accused of being involved in illegal logging and disregarding indigenous rights in Peru (see the articles by The New York Times and Illegal-Logging.info.





You can also download the Times article,"A Swirl of Foreboding in Mahogany's Grain".

Even if the wood were originating from an operation certified by an organization accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), certifiers do not certify that logging is "sustainable". They certify that wood comes from operations that are "well managed" according to their own definitions. These are two entirely different concepts. Scientific studies have shown that even so-called "low impact" logging in old growth rainforests is not sustainable.

These signs are posted along the Boardwalk all the way to The Pier, suggesting that Parks has plans to renovate that entire section with new rainforest wood decking. This would involve another approximately 120,000 board feet of cumaru.

You can use Park's on-line form to send a message to Adrian Benepe, the Commissioner of NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, demanding that the department shift to recycled plastic lumber or domestic hardwoods for renovations to the Boardwalk. Below is a sample message you can cut and paste, or write your own.

Parks Must Not Destroy More Rainforests!
Dear Commissioner Benepe, The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has the opportunity to shift the City's material use away from destructive tropical hardwoods towards carbon-friendly and extremely durable recycled plastic lumber (RPL). DPR is already using RPL for the renovations to The Pier in Coney Island but is continuing to use wood ripped from primary rainforests for decking on the Boardwalk, even though concrete slabs have been poured to accommodate the more-flexible plastic. Why? Earth's rainforests are being destroyed at an incredible rate, thus driving more than 100 species to extinction each day and contributing greatly to climate change. Please stop this senseless use of old growth tropical hardwoods.