Wednesday's parting shot

From 10th Street along Tompkins Square Park... still need to watch "Silent Friend"...

A call to protect the trees outside the former St. Brigid School

Photos by Stacie Joy 

An EVG reader alerted us about the tree beds outside the former St. Brigid School on Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

The reader reports that the protective fencing is in poor condition and the area is no longer being maintained. Dogs are also using the tree beds.

"We have lost so many trees in the past couple of years," the reader wrote, wondering whether EVG readers might have ideas for protecting these. 

As previously reported, the former school building at 185 E. Seventh St. is being marketed as a residential development site by the Archdiocese of New York. The adjacent St. Brigid-St. Emeric church and rectory are not included in the potential sale. 

Any suggestions for helping these trees?

'I smell dead things': The plot thins on Avenue A

The mucky tree well on Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street along the Con Ed substation is once again a bare plot of earth and pigeon feed.

The plants or crops — or whatever was managing to grow there — were removed by an unknown source last week, returning this particular patch of Avenue A to its more familiar state. 

Some readers may recall that the tree well enjoyed a brief horticultural renaissance in the spring of 2024, when a resident cleaned out the muck and added a collection of plants. 

However, it didn't last, as this tree well seems to be connected to an underground life force bubbling up from the earth's core. (Fact check, please.) 

The smell, however, remains. We once described it as "dead vampires" and were quickly called out for it: "Have you ever smelled a dead vampire?" 

Dammit. Anyway. 

Nature is healing?

Previously on EV Grieve:

• This spring, new life for the mucky tree well that smells like dead things on Avenue A

Going, going, gone on 11th Street

An EVG reader shared these photos from early this morning of a branch down on 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The reader had been keeping an eye on the tree, particularly a lower limb that extended well over the street. There was enough growth that branches at the end reportedly reached the sapling on the opposite side of the street. 

At first, it appeared crews might simply be removing the large limb. 

Then came the update: "Looks like the whole thing is coming down." 

And it did. By later today, only a stump remained.

The reader noted that the exposed cuts appeared to show solid wood, though we don't know what prompted the removal or whether there were other issues with the tree.

According to the NYC Tree Map, this was a thornless honey locust that was last pruned in August 2021.

Wednesday's parting shot

Coming up on harvest time here on Avenue A between Fifth and Sixth Street... we can almost taste the corn on the cob!

Crowdfunding effort moves to guard a tree around Tompkins Square Park

Here's an item about a small but meaningful win for Tompkins Square Park.

 A crowdfunding effort to protect one of the vulnerable trees along the perimeter of Tompkins Square Park is (as of last night) just a few dollars shy of its $2,000 goal. 

The campaign was organized by Zachary Thomas and Tal Roded, who serve together on Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee. Their goal: to install a durable metal tree guard around a Ginkgo tree on Seventh Street near Avenue B, which is currently exposed to the daily grind. 

Enter tree guards, which help protect against dog waste, vehicle and delivery damage, and soil compaction from foot traffic, all of which can slowly kill a tree. 

Last year, according to the GoFundMe, while walking the park's perimeter, Thomas noticed a troubling imbalance: of the 58 trees lining Tompkins Square Park, only seven had guards. That leaves nearly 90% exposed to damage every day. 

NYC Parks is prepared to install a guard, but with limited funding and street tree maintenance low on the priority list, the cost has fallen to the community. The quoted price for the fabrication and professional installation of a standard metal tree guard is $1,950 — a one-time investment that is meant to last for years. 

The campaign's success shows just how much neighbors care about the small details that keep the East Village green. It may only be one tree, but it's a step toward protecting the edges of Tompkins Square Park — one guard at a time. 

You can read more about this campaign in a Substack post by Thomas and Roded.

Fallen tree blocks sidewalk along Avenue B in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

We received several reader reports of an uprooted tree yesterday in Tompkins Square Park (h/t Steven), along the Avenue B fence between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. 

There were no reports of injuries. 

As of this afternoon, the downed tree was still blocking the sidewalk along Avenue B.

First frost fallout on 1st Avenue

Photos and text courtesy of Karen Hatch, Donald Davis and Kelley Ryan 

This tree (a Japanese pagoda tree, per NYC Tree Map) on First Avenue between 10th and 11th chose the first hard frost Thursday night to drop the bulk of its leaves onto the sidewalk and bike path.

The above-ground parts of the hairy vetch winter cover plants at 97 St. Mark's Place also took a hit. 

The mycorrhizal fungi underground, however, are still doing their thing — transporting and communicating as they will into next spring, when the vetch bloom.

Saturday's opening shot

Foliage Week continues... this morning from the Lower East Side Playground off of 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...

Monday's parting shot

Several EVG readers spotted activity this morning inside the infamously mucky tree well on Avenue A just south of Sixth Street ... the one that's been a stagnant soup of water, soggy bread, and other pigeon snacks for years. 

Workers were seen turning over the dirt and removing small samples, though it wasn't immediately clear what kind of intervention was underway. 

We'll keep an eye on this tree pit to see what, if anything, may sprout from today's efforts. 

Attempts to revitalize the space — including a spring planting rescue mission in March 2024 — have, unfortunately, not taken root.

Someone tore a tree from the ground and left it in a 1st Avenue trash can

For the "why-we-can't-have-nice-things" files. 

Remember the freshly planted tree on the west side of First Avenue, between Ninth Street and 10th Street, that we mentioned a few weeks ago? See that hole in the ground in the top photo? 

Someone yanked the tree out and tossed it into the corner trash can.

Klayer tried his best to replant it, but the tree will need some more soil...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A tree grows on 1st Avenue

A tree grows on 1st Avenue

EVG reader William Klayer shares this photo of a freshly planted tree on the west side of First Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street... it's not one usually planed by the city... so perhaps a business owner, landlord or resident(s) were responsible?

American elm chainsaw massacre

Parks workers chopped up and removed the remains of the stricken American elm in Tompkins Square Park. 

However, it wasn't easy. East Village resident Joe Kay shared this photo, noting "that elm ate one of their chainsaws!"

Post-mortem on the freshly cutback American elm in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by and reporting by Stacie Joy 

On Tuesday, the Parks Department cut back the drooping American elm inside the Seventh Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Before this happened, I had reached out to urban forestry expert Georgia Silvera Seamans, founder of Local Nature Lab. (Read her initial response here.) 

As she's out of town, I sent her several of the photos of the trimmed back tree. Her response: "Looks like there was a major crack in a large branch. It also looks like staining from Dutch Elm Disease on the left front branch."

Parks Department prunes drooping elm in Tompkins Square Park

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Top pic Sunday by EVG 

7/25 — Update here.

-----

Visitors to Tompkins Square Park over the weekend noticed something amiss with one of its older residents: a large American elm just inside the Seventh Street entrance between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Several low-hanging branches appeared drooped or stressed, prompting speculation among locals about whether the tree might be suffering from Sudden Branch Drop (SBD), a phenomenon that can affect mature trees in the summer months. 

But not so fast, says urban forestry expert Georgia Silvera Seamans. 

"From the photos on EVG, it looks like there is some kind of torsion on the leftmost branch from the trunk," said Silvera Seamans, founder of Local Nature Lab and an expert in urban tree health. "This could have been caused by an imbalance in weight on the left side of the tree compared to the overall tree. The crotch — the gap between the branches where they split from the trunk — could be weak." 

Without examining the elm in person, she cautioned against jumping to conclusions but suggested the issue may be more structural than seasonal. 

"It also looks like two branches are rubbing together," she added. "My bet is something structural, which could be related to weight, age, or disease." 

As for whether the elm can be saved, Silvera Seamans said that it depends on what a professional arborist finds during an in-person inspection. 

"Branches could be pruned to lighten the load, heavier branches supported with tree braces, upper branches could be cabled," she said. 

Following our conversation, I walked by the tree to find that the Parks Department had cut it back yesterday — hopefully a sign that the elm will remain a healthy fixture in the park for years to come.

Concern for this drooping American elm in Tompkins Square Park

There's caution tape around one of the majestic American elms in Tompkins Square Park, just inside the mid-block entrance on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

EVG reader Kate, who also sent in a photo, noted that the tree's branches are drooping noticeably now....

The tree map, provided by the Parks Department, indicates that it was inspected in February, with an unspecified service performed in May.

Here's hoping it just needs some pruning — and not something more serious.

Saturday's opening shot

Ninth Street at Third Avenue... and the weather on this Saturday — breezy and overcast with a high topping 84 (!) depending on who you talk to ... with thunderstorms possibly lurking in areas this evening.

St. Mark’s Place branching out with 3 new trees

Photos by Jacob Ford 

Workers today are planting three new trees on St. Mark's Place at Third Avenue, adjacent to the new 9-story office building...

Several trees were cut down here during construction (we covered this here). 

Workers also removed a tree from outside 5 St. Mark's Place. No sign of a replacement here just yet...

December trees

Thanks to Cáit O'Riordan for sharing this photo from Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... where, outside Tokio7, "the trees are hanging on to their leaves! The elm replaced a beautiful ginkgo tree that used to be there."

Previously

Wednesday's parting shot

Another excellent tree candidate (here and here) ... this one from Stuy Town via EVG reader Jim Mullins...