Updated: Tree down on Avenue A

We received reader reports this afternoon of a vehicle striking and knocking over a smallish tree on the west side of Avenue A near the M14 stop outside Village View between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. 

We gleaned the following info from two readers who came across the scene just after the collision around 4:30. A vehicle traveling north on A apparently made a U-turn, hitting the tree and speeding off in the southbound lane. The vehicle (we don't know what type) was likely partially struck by the falling tree as the driver left the scene. 

The tree fell across Avenue A and blocked nearly three-quarters of the roadway for about 10 minutes. The FDNY arrived and used a chainsaw to remove the remains from Avenue A and tossed the limbs over the fence along Village View. 

Thankfully, no one was injured. Let us know if you have more details about the collision.

Updated 8 p.m.

We have another reader report (and it was not such a smallish tree)...

Per an EVG reader:

A black pick-up, someone said a Honda Ridgeline, struck a parked car on the east side of Avenue A, floored it in reverse, shot across the avenue, and uprooted and snapped the tree in two. The truck bed tailgate flew open, throwing its contents against the fence at Village View. 

The driver sped off, turning left (east) on Fourth Street, thankfully sparing our beloved Key Food. Some bystanders took photos of the truck and showed the police. Don't know if anyone got the license plate number. The open back tailgate blocked it from my view.

Tree down on 14th Street

The driver of a Penske box truck collided with a tree on the south side of 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B last night, according to witnesses. 

The collision occurred about 8:40 p.m. A witness alleged that the driver claimed to have only "bumped" the tree with the passenger side mirror. 

Helluva bump...

The driver left, the police were called... and someone captured the aftermath on the Citizen app...

 

Vehicle Crash Into Tree @CitizenApp

538 E 14th St Yesterday 8:46:42 PM EDT

Tree branch down on 10th Street

Last night's storm brought down a tree limb on 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Thanks to Louise Segev for the photos). 

No word of any injuries... and it doesn't appear that any of the parked vehicles sustained damage...

More crap weather is expected on Friday when the remnants of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Debby arrive.

14th Street's twinkling lights tree returns to its roots

The Mystery of the Mysteriously Illuminated Tree on 14th Street has reached an unsatisfying conclusion.

As noted on July 23, someone adorned the tree outside Beauty Bar and Coyote Ugly with a cascade of twinkling lights complete with two wall-style switches here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

In any event, the tree, as of last week, is now free of its cloak of white lights.

No one claimed responsibility, but an anonymous EVG commenter reasonably explained that the Union Square Partnership created it as a festive tester tree. Per the commenter: "They are considering lighting up a bunch of trees on 14th Street for the holidays."

Some readers enjoyed the pre-holiday lights spectacular... while others stated tightly wrapping a tree in strands of lights is harmful.

For now, the tree is back to just being a tree...

H/T Brock Michael Napoli

10th Street tree freed from death by concrete

311 worked!

On July 6, we noted that a tree outside 85 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue was entombed in concrete. 

EVG reader Ron, who shared the initial tip and the photo above, saw workers remove the concrete from the tree well on Wednesday. One of the workers said the building had received a fine.

As a reminder... from the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation website... in the tree pit section: 

A city tree must battle many urban hazards daily — from air pollution and bicycles to dogs and people. In addition to above-ground threats, tree roots also must contend with tough below-ground conditions. A tree pit or lawn strip provides limited space for these forest giants, and this soil is a tree's only source of nutrients. Because of this, it is essential to create as nurturing a tree pit as possible. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• What's the 311? How East Village residents can effectively file complaints

Reader report: 2 more entombed trees

EVG readers shared intel on two other entombed neighborhood trees after this post from Monday.

The top photo is from outside 85 E. 10th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue (thanks, Ron!). 

The tree is surrounded by a halo that reveals about an inch of soil.

 

The shot below is from outside 202 E. 13th St., just east of Third Avenue. It shows a tree pit complete with plastic greenery to give the concrete base a 99-cent store look.

From the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation website... in the tree pit section: 

A city tree must battle many urban hazards daily — from air pollution and bicycles to dogs and people. In addition to above-ground threats, tree roots also must contend with tough below-ground conditions. A tree pit or lawn strip provides limited space for these forest giants, and this soil is a tree's only source of nutrients. Because of this, it is essential to create as nurturing a tree pit as possible.

These 2 East Village trees are still entombed in concrete

We've heard from several EVG readers about these two tree pits... the top one is outside 521 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. We mentioned it on May 7, and multiple readers said they called 311 about the entombed tree. 

Meanwhile, building management maintains that this has reduced the rat population. 

Elsewhere, there's another soon-to-be-dead tree outside 47 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, a spot that residents said they have reported to the city.

Any others to report?

Reader report: Why were our new trees canceled?

From the EVG inbox...

I live on Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue and we were so excited when the city posted we'd be getting two new trees on our block. But [last Thursday], our dreams were crushed when someone came and filled in the two freshly dug tree holes with cement again! I tried calling 311 but to no avail. Does anyone have an idea what happened to get our trees canceled? 

The reader is curious if any block associations or community gardens have had something similar happen.

Elsewhere, a reader points out that this tree well outside 521 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B has been inexplicably filled in with cement...

A tree-mendous scene

Workers from NYC Parks were spotted planting new trees today on Second Avenue at Sixth Street ... thanks to Carol from East 5th Street for the pic. 

And FYI: This link has info on requesting a new tree for a block.

Checking in on the former mucky tree well on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy

Last Tuesday, we reported on longtime East Village resident Siobhan Meow taking care of the formerly mucky-smelly tree well on Avenue A just south of Sixth Street (now known as the Noel Reed Memorial Tree Pit).

We spotted Siobhan at work yesterday, putting in some early ground cover for the soil ...

We're looking forward to seeing this formerly soggy, bread-ridden plot come to life this spring.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

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

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

Prologue 

Text and photos by EVG

Since last summer, the tree well on Avenue A just south of Sixth Street has been a mucky cesspool of stagnant water, soggy bread, and other snacks for pigeons adjacent to the block-long Con Edison substation. 

On warm days, when the winds are just right, you can smell the fragrant pit nearly a block away — an aroma that smells like decaying rodents, sewer water, and stale bread.

Despite the muck, life found a way last summer ... 

On Dec. 31, we noticed something remarkable: someone had tilled the plot, turning the earth and providing hope. And after the most recent MulchFest in Tompkins Square Park in January, someone even put down a fresh bed of chips. 

We've never seen anyone drop off the pigeon smorgasbord, but we haven't spotted the person (or people?) tending to the plot either. 

Until last week. 

Hope Springs Eternal

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Last week, you may have noticed that someone had been giving the mucky tree well some TLC. I spotted East Village artist Siobhan Meow working here with a shovel and asked her about the project. 

"I decided to adopt a tree well!" she said. 

She has named it the Noel Reed Memorial Tree Pit after her friend Noel Reed, aka Leon Deer, aka Mr. Twilight, "who died much too young." He was a dancer with the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black and worked for Con Edison as a welder. 

"I noticed last summer that this amazing cornstalk is growing here. Just the one cornstalk. And then when it was gone, it smelled so bad here in the summer," she said. "All the pigeons…there was so much pigeon guano, which is really good for plants."

Carrying a shovel from her garden, she said, "I turned it over, added some compost from my rooftop garden, some soil from an abandoned outdoor restaurant shack planter, and then a layer of Christmas tree shavings, mulch from the park." 

What does she see for the tree pit? "Shrubs only. Nothing over 12 feet tall. I'd love to see a pussy willow in there. But don't feel too precious about what you put in it. It needs earthworms, too. Nightcrawlers. The best worms."

She's putting out an open call for plants, hoping someone will donate roses or shrubbery. "I don't want to be too controlling," she said

She plans to maintain the pit to be more "civically conscious and to get some exercise."

Epilogue

Saturday's opening shot

At the entrance to Tompkins Square Park at Seventh Street and Avenue A this morning ... there are two new trees the city recently planted here (replacing this one).

Tree rescued from concrete on Houston

Photos by Salim

A quick follow-up to a post from a few weeks back, when we noted the new sidewalk bridge along 280 E. Houston St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, the site of an incoming 12-floor mixed-use building. 

In creating this, the workers entombed a tree near Avenue B in concrete. 

However, as these photos (thanks, Salim!) show, the construction crew drilled out the concrete that filled the tree well... allowing it to take in water now...

As for the new development, it will contain 224,809 square feet of space — for residential, commercial and community use. The residential portion will total 211,028 square feet for 157 apartments, per DOB records. The retail section will feature 12,000 square feet, while the community facility is 1,300 square feet.

Thursday's parting shots

And several readers have noted this — basically like why — on Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place...

Protection for 2 young trees on 14th Street

Props to the East Village gardeners (from Down to Earth and El Sol Brillante on 12th Street) who today installed these tree guards around two unprotected young trees on 14th Street at Avenue A...

H/T Alexis Adler

Fall classics

Scenes of fall from around the neighborhood over the past six weeks.. starting and ending in Tompkins Square Park...

Reader report: This tree could use some help on 4th Street

An EVG reader shared these photos from outside 203 E. Fourth St., a Kushner-owned Westminster Management property between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Here's more via the reader: "I passed by this poor tree ... There is a deep hole between the torn roots and paved sidewalk." 

The reader asks who to contact to add soil to the tree pit.

"The tree is very much alive and we should not lose another tree in this neighborhood."

Noted

As seen on the east side of Second Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. (Thanks Eden for the photo!) 

"The Floraissance Has Begun!" (background here) ... with additional messages with pleas to help keep this tree alive here outside the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church...

Weeping for this lost tree on Avenue A

The city has cut down the lone tree along the west side of Avenue A between Houston/First Street and Second Street. 

The New York City Tree Map identified this as a weeping willow. [Updated: It was actually a corkscrew willow — thanks to the reader for this ID!]

Last Friday morning around 10:30, according to witnesses and a report on the Citizen app, a white, unmarked box truck violently lurched into the tree, causing a sizable gash across its trunk...

Some time yesterday, the tree was cut down (the first pic is from a tipster) ...

A tipster shared a clip of surveillance footage showing the truck running into the tree. 

 

The driver of the truck did not get out and inspect any damage, and drove off, per a witness.

There was some hope from nearby residents that the tree — with its unique corkscrew trunk — could stay put.