Reader report: Construction truck takes out tree on 13th Street

An EVG reader passes along word that a construction truck working on the Extell development at 500 and 538 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B "leveled this tree on 13th Street" yesterday afternoon. (The new building's loading docks are on the 13th Street side.)

...another view via a reader on the block...



... the tree was later cut down and mulched...

The loss of a majestic American elm on 3rd Street

EVG reader Bobby G. notes that this is what's left of the majestic American elm that stood on East Third Street between Avenue C and Avenue D... Per Bobby: "It was cut down today. Why? I do not know."

One EVG reader said that the tree had a bit of a lean, and that the city was worried that it might fall during a storm.

Regardless, as Bobby G. said, "it is a great loss to the block."

7th Street residents angered after developer cuts down the wrong tree

[EVG photo of 79-89 Avenue D from June]

Over at 79-89 Avenue D, L&M Development Partners have been prepping for a 12-story retail-residential building with 110 dwelling units here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

On Wednesday, residents at 274 E. Seventh St. said they were angered to discover that workers "mistakenly cut down a six-story tree" in the backyard of their co-op building.

A resident with knowledge of the situation said that L&M had a work order to remove one tree — from 278 E. Seventh St. However, the crew cut down that tree as well as the one behind No. 274.


[Behind 274 E. 7th St.]

The residents contacted the Department of Buildings via 311, and were told that it wasn't a DOB matter. The 311 rep suggested calling the police.

As for the loss of the tree, the resident said that an L&M rep confirmed they made a mistake and are prepared to do something for the co-op "within reason."

"What could possibly make whole the loss of the sole grace note of our backyard, shading our apartments in the summer, announcing the arrival of spring when it's buds peeped out, the golden light that filtered through its changing leaves in the fall and the shelter it provided squirrels, blue jays, sparrows and rare hawk visits?"

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Space that houses Rite Aid on Avenue D hits market for $22.5 million

Report: New 12-story, mixed-use building in the works for Avenue D

Permit pre-filed for new 12-floor building at 79-89 Avenue D

Former Avenue D Rite Aid has been demolished to make way for a 12-story building

Reader report: Please don't destroy the trees

Via the EVG inbox…

Hey, thought this would be a great time to remind our transient college folks that it is not cool to destroy nature. Disgusting.

According to the reader, the above tree on East 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B was vandalized last evening by "a pack of drunken college kids … walking between bars and deciding to rip the branches off."

Meanwhile, in other tree news, a reader noted a downed tree on First Avenue near East Fifth Street yesterday…



… someone had removed it by this morning…



The reader was unaware why the tree came down, pointing out that someone unsuccessfully tried to prop it up with a stone…

And, if you'd like some closure, the tree is now around the corner on East Fifth Street…

1 explanation for the seemingly random tree pruning and removal around here

[St. Mark's Place]

Through the years we've received a good number of queries about random tree pruning and, worse — tree removal.

Residents have wondered why some seemingly healthy looking trees are getting cut back or removed in the neighborhood.

This audit that landed in our inbox via NYC Comptroller Scott M. Stringer might provide some answers.

Let's take a look:

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has mismanaged the City’s street tree pruning program responsible for maintaining approximately 650,000 street trees citywide, increasing the risk of personal injury and property damage from falling branches.

“Auditors found that Borough Forestry offices in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island were paying contractors for pruning the wrong trees, for pruning that was never done and were not keeping accurate lists of trees that were properly maintained. Taxpayers deserve better management of our City’s trees,” Stringer said.

New York City’s street tree pruning program is run by the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Forestry Service, which oversees all street tree maintenance and operates an office in each borough. Private contractors that plant the street trees are responsible for maintaining them for two years. Thereafter, Parks prunes them, except for trees five inches or more in diameter, which are maintained by contractors hired by the Parks Department.

Based on a review of Parks’ operations and contracted street tree pruning services from July 1, 2012, to November 21, 2013, the Comptroller’s audit revealed weaknesses in the operations of all Borough Forestry Offices, except for Queens. The audit found that offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island had:

• Inaccurate lists, or no lists at all, of trees requiring pruning. Manhattan and Staten Island failed to give contractors specific lists of trees that needed maintenance and could not provide evidence that contractors’ work had been inspected.

• No evidence that required post-pruning inspections were performed. These inspections are meant to ensure that all contract terms are met and payments are only made for adequately pruned trees.

To read the full audit, please click here. (PDF!) And save a tree and don't print out the report...

Small tree meets 'terrible end' on 3rd Avenue

An EVG reader noted this earlier today on Third Avenue at East 12th Street:

Did you see the tree in front of Funkiberry/Han Dynasty met some terrible end? I saw it very early this morning ... .within the last hour it got cleaned up. Now the little tree is over by the trash can.

Anyone know what happened here? (Specifically about the tree...)

Here's a Google Street View of the tree from last September...

Please mind the new tree on St. Mark's Place

[Photo from May 2013 by EVG reader Ann]

Just about one year ago, plenty of people were pissed after the city chopped down a seemingly healthy ornamental Callery pear tree on St Mark's Place … on the south side of the street near No. 12.

A resident let his/her feelings known — arborcide!


[Photo by Chloe Sweeney McGlade via Facebook]

In November, someone used discarded cooktops, and many other items, to decorate the tree well…


[EVG photo from November 2013]

On Monday, the city planted a new tree in the spot, as part of the MillionTreesNYC program…



And by yesterday, there was a friendly reminder on the tree…



Previously on EV Grieve:
'Arborcide' — People are pissed that this tree was chopped down on St. Mark's Place

[Updated] Behold the cooktop sidewalk garden on St. Mark's Place

A reminder not to lock your bike to a tree

Helpful reminder spotted on East Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B last night. (You know what happens when you lock a bike to a tree.)

No word if this is the work of the esteemed East Fifth St. Tree Committee. Likely not, given the note isn't on neon pink paper. (Plus it's a different block.)

Photo by Robert Sietsema via Twitter

Previously on EV Grieve:
In the newest installment of how to steal a bike and destroy a tree in the East Village

In the newest installment of how to steal a bike and destroy a tree in the East Village

An EVG reader who lives on East Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B shared this story about a young tree on the south side of the street … late Saturday night, "there was still a living tree there, and a bike stupidly locked to it."

And then yesterday morning?

The tree was basically snapped and half… and the bike was gone…



"Unbelievable; that tree was doing so well until someone thought it was a good idea to destroy it to steal an old bike," said the reader. "What an awful loss to our block."

Tree spared from death by cement on Avenue C

[Via EVG reader Ann]

Last week, we noted that someone filled up the above tree well with about 500 pounds of cement on Avenue C… as an update, by this past weekend, the cement was gone…



Now can the tree survive the Sunburnt Cow's all-you-can-drink brunch crowd?

One way to kill a tree

[Via EVG reader Ann]

Several readers have noted this WTF situation on Avenue C near East Ninth Street in front of the Sunburnt Cow. In recents days someone basically smothered this tree well with about 500 pounds of cement...



... and people have taken notice, though it may be too late to save this 1-year-old tree...

People miss the trees at the Astor Place subway plaza

As we noted the other day, workers, for whatever reasons, removed the trees from the Astor Place subway plaza ahead of the Astor Place-Cooper Square revamp... most readers here and on Facebook were pretty much WTF about it... EVG regular Terry Howell shared this shot of the trees as they looked in January 2011... Anyway, plans show about eight trees will be planted here in the revamp...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Revamped Astor Place subway plaza apparently won't need its existing trees

Five years later, Astor Place apparently ready for its 2-year reconstruction project

An updated look at the all-new Astor Place

Workers chopping down the trees at 51 Astor Place

'Arborcide' — People are pissed that this tree was chopped down on St. Mark's Place

Ugh. This morning, EVG reader Ann was walking on St. Mark's between Second Avenue and Third Avenue when she spotted workers removing this beauty on the south side of the street.

Later, when there was nothing left but the stump, someone left this sign and flowers...


[Photo by Chloe Sweeney McGlade via Facebook]

It reads in part:

"You have killed the most poetic perfectly healthy beautiful ornamental Callery pear tree ... You are killing the historic character of this block..."

Someone cut down this tree on East Second Street

Near Avenue D...

Workers chopping down the trees at 51 Astor Place

You know all those nice trees out front of 51 Astor Place?

Workers are on the scene chopping them down right now...

...to make way for the ugly new office building here.

Previously.

Local 'blogger' wrong about 'butchered' willow tree

Last Dec. 10, a local (hyperlocal?) "blogger" reported on a willow tree that workers cut back on Eighth Street near Avenue C. ("Butchered" was the actual word.) Several readers assured the local blogger that the tree would, some day, come back.



Meanwhile, seven or so months later, EV Grieve Willow Tree Correspondents Bobby Williams and Dave on 7th have noted that the tree is looking healthy again.

Not quite back to as it was before, but on the way, perhaps.



Previously on EV Grieve:
The willow trees of Loisaida

11th Street condo owners want to chop down this willow tree

Workers arrive to chop down trees at 326-328 E. Fourth St.

EV Grieve reader Ileana sends along these photos, noting the activity in front of 326-328 E. Fourth St. ... which is being prepped to become luxury housing...



"Tree service company came today to start cutting down the townhouse trees. As of this afternoon, they had not yet gotten to the mulberry trees in front that are growing out of the steps and provide East 4th street residents with delicious berries in June."



Previously on EV Grieve:
Historic East Fourth Street artists' collective soon to be condos

Two side-by-side townhouses on East Fourth Street await your renovation

City doesn't give a shit about these historic East Village townhouses

Tree muggers at the La Plaza Cultural

This past Saturday morning, city workers swooped in and cut down a beautiful willow tree on the corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street in La Plaza Cultural. I happened by minutes after the workers left. I spoke with someone who lives nearby. A branch had fallen earlier that morning in the high winds. So the whole tree was cut down "just in case." This resident didn't think that was necessary.