Situated in the heart of Downtown New York City stand sixteen 37-foot tall Washingtonia Robusta trees. They are the feature architectural detail of a 120 foot tall glass atrium and anchor point of the World Financial Center.

These palm trees became a symbol of national resilience following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Unfortunately, much of the atrium and palm trees were destroyed in the attacks. We worked tirelessly to locate and install a new set of 16 palms, alongside other skilled contractors who rebuilt the entire atrium, all before the one-year anniversary of September 11th. The trees planted in 2024 maintain this legacy and provide visitors with a place to find reflection and relaxation under a canopy of palm fronds.

In June of 2021, we utilized our network of Florida growers to begin a search for trees for the 2024 installation. Due to the consolidation of nurseries in South Florida, there was no nursery large enough to support this project. The grower that we ultimately selected to partner with unparalleled knowledge in large palm specimens and a shared ambition to expand their shade-house nursery operation to support 35’ plus trees.

Together, we visited eight fields across Florida before selecting a field to initiate tree tagging. Within this field, we assessed 2,112 palms. Our goal was to select, dig, and transport 24 trees to acclimate in a custom shade house built on one of the grower’s properties. Of these 24 trees, only 16 would be selected and shipped from Florida to New York for the July 2024 install.

Prior to digging the trees from the field, we assess them on height, straightness, caliper symmetry, and trunk aesthetic (no marks or delaminating or atypical shedding of petiole boots). The final planting is one of symmetry, with all viewpoints and linear aspects of the atrium considered. The sourcing of the trees requires incredible attention to detail – from measuring the variance of clear trunk and overall heights to caliper measures taken at multiple heights to ensure an even taper of the trunk. This assessment and measurement of thousands of trees ensure that the selected palms maintain the atrium’s original design intent.

To address the challenge of assessing the palms for required specifications, we instituted a multiple phased tagging approach. We would first tag trees based on straightness and height. The tagged trees were then ‘stripped’ of their old fronds and boots about 4’ off the ground while still in the field. We returned to measure the caliper of these trees and assess the trunk aesthetic and health. At this point, we took a second height measurement using a pole and forestry laser.

The selected trees are carefully dug from the field via a phased hydraulic tree spading. They are picked and craned out of the field, transported swiftly in batches of 6 to the nursery and potted up into a 200 gallon grow pot – the largest that will fit into the vaults at the client’s site. The scheduling between dig, transport to nursey and potting up is precise to minimize the amount of time the trees are staged horizontally without irrigation and nutrients.

The trees were left in the field for 4 months in their new grow pots to root out, before being moved under a shade house to acclimate the trees for their lower light conditions indoors in New York. A custom, one of a kind, 48’ tall shade house was built for this project. Cables support alignment of the trees and provide stability against the wind as these palms endured 2 hurricane seasons during acclimation.

The trees are also carefully ‘de-booted’ or ‘slicked’. A methodical process that requires the use of blades no larger than a boxcutter to deliver the look expected by the client. The trees are inspected by our Chief Horticulturalist, including soil, foliage and saw dust samples. This testing is conducted to ensure we send disease and pest free trees as the trees will already experience significant stress transitioning to the indoors.

The installation is conducted over a precise schedule of 12 nights – 8 nights of removals and planter bed prep and 4 nights of tree planting. To address the challenges during installation, we developed a precise project installation calendar that was reviewed multiple times internally. We also conducted regular on-site coordination meetings with the client to understand their schedule of their arts and events and their tenant restaurant's hours.

During the first phase of the project this includes the trunk and stump removal of each of the 16 prior palms, the excavation and cleanup of each tree pit, and the new build up for each pit prior to planting. The tree roots had developed so well that four stumps presented a significant challenge in removal. The other 12 tree stumps were dug out with root assassins and Sawzall, then anchored to the lull and pulled out. This process didn’t suffice on 4 stumps as the strength of the old root system surpassed the power of the lull, requiring the team to manually dig these stumps out another ~1’ or so before reattempting to anchor them to the lull.

As a trailer with four palms landed in New York, we had to plant those four 37’ trees between 11am and 6am. Our site cleanup each night took ~1 hour, so we had to work and shift to cleanup around 5am to organize the site before tenants opened and workers start populating the space. There was no space to stage or leave a 37’ palm trees in downtown New York or on site should we not complete the full planting of a given night. Four palm trees were delivered to New York on four separate flatbed trailers. Each trailer would depart the nursery in Florida and show up in New York two days later. One trailer (with four trees) would depart on one morning, then the second trailer the following day, and so forth.

Access to the site was an immense challenge. The 48’ trailers and lull had to enter the atrium without direct road or loading dock access. Access was through high foot trafficked waterfront plaza and then through a glass double door that providing about 6” of excess width for the trailer.

The lull was used to take each palm tree off of the trailer horizontally, and then orientate it vertically once inside the atrium. Once vertical, each palm was carefully transported via the lull and multiple rigging lines to ensure perfect centered placement in each of the 16 vaults. As the palm was positioned above the vault, the grow pot was then removed. The roots of the root ball were then scarified prior to lowering the palm into the pit.

Custom jack systems were fabricated to allow careful calibration of the trunks straightness and stability. Each individual pit is also outfitted with a prefabricated irrigation drip system to ensure precise watering as needed. The end result is an incredible display of scale and symmetry. Sixteen palms standing tall, a pinnacle of the possibilities of landscaping.