"Credit here should go to Sam Schwartz, who coined the word ‘gridlock’ when he was a commissioner in New York City’s Department of Traffic. The word has gone mainstream.  Perhaps some day the governor will use the word I coined when I was at Parks,  “arborcide”, which describes the intentional and wrongful killing of a tree."  

...   

Employees at the city Dept. of Transportation were using "gridlock" before "Gridlock" Sam Schwartz arrived. As for "arborcide," there's the following:

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28 June 1904, Los Angeles Times, pg. 11:

Another prominent citizen, who has an oration he has never had a chance to deliver, thinks the way out of it is to have a day set apart every year for the purpose, a sort of Arborcide Day.

     

20 February 1947, New York Times, pg. 4:

June 1743 (approximate. Young George cut down a cherry tree. When asked if he had committed arborcide, George said, "I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down the tree to get cherries for Barricini to encase in their delicious bittersweet chocolate.

          

6 October 1955, Los Angeles Times, pg. A4:

It was, however, not homicide but arborcide. The tree wreckers are on the raid.

  

4 December 1966, Los Angeles Times, pg B34:

THEY FELLED THE REDWOODS by Hank Johnson (Trans-Anglo: $6.95). For those that do not believe in arborcide, this book is must reading.

   

17 January 1987, New York Times, pg. 29:

Mr. Stern called the act "vile 'arborcide'" and offered a $1,00 reward for information leading to the arrest of the culprits.

   

GRIDLOCK LINK: