Concerns Raised as City of Philadelphia Clear-Cuts Hundreds of Trees with Little Warning – Again

PHILADELPHIA, PA –  On Tuesday, the City of Philadelphia began clear-cutting trees at FDR Park’s South Philly Meadows despite residents using the area at the time and strong community resistance to the project. 

Concerns from residents and environmental organizations are twofold: a well-used wild space is being destroyed to create artificial turf fields, and it is being done in an unsafe manner without consultation from the community. This also comes on the heels of the March incident with city-owned Cobbs Creek Golf Course, in which the city cleared hundreds of trees without notifying community leaders ahead of time.

[Photos of the clear-cutting are available upon request.] 

In response, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter Interim Chapter Director Tom Schuster released the following statement:

“FDR Park and South Philly Meadows have provided recreation and access to nature for families and individuals for years. From trails and foraging to the popular Southeast Asian Market, it’s a source of diverse joy for South Philly’s residents. That’s why it’s disappointing to see the City of Philadelphia move forward with its Master Plan and so thoroughly ignore the concerns of its residents. 

“All too often the perspectives, voices, and needs of communities of color, and immigrant and refugee communities are neglected, such as in the case of the city’s initial community survey for this project. So while no one could have anticipated that we would face a pandemic, the city needs to take the opportunity to reevaluate its plan and engage the public in a more transparent process to determine what the whole of the community actually needs and wants.”