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.

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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...

Another tree-mendous post

An addition to our fall trees post yesterday... here from 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

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.