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.

Saturday's opening shot

A reader report of a downed limb on 12th Street just east of Avenue A... and on a tree with a notice for a pesticide application in recent days...

Sprucing up the damaged American Elm in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

Workers have finished removing the branch that fell from this American Elm on Sunday afternoon near the Avenue A and St. Mark's Place entrance to Tompkins Square Park. 

Witnesses said it appeared the branch came close to a man in a wheelchair. 

In some positive news, it appears the rest of the tree will be able to remain here...

And a look at the fallen limb from yesterday... which took out a section of the Park fence...

[Updated] 8 new trees on a truck in Tompkins Square Park

Workers have a truckload of new trees (eight in total) here at the St. Mark's Place entrance to Tompkins Square Park... presumably for planting in the park.

They were still on the truck when N&Lon7th snapped the photo this morning. 

We like new trees.

Updated 3 p.m. 

A few more shots of the trees... and their new home... via Steven...

Wednesday's closing shots

A few new trees arrived today on Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street (on the east side)... thanks to EVG reader Newman for sharing these photos...

Wednesday's parting shot

The late-afternoon light on First Street walking toward First Avenue...

Spring fever

The cherry blossoms are blooming on Third Avenue at Ninth Street on this lovely summer spring day...

Stump town no more in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

Over the past two days, workers have removed several stumps from around Tompkins Square Park (using the trusty Rayco RG70X!) ...

... one of the workers said the city will be planting new trees in these spots...

The Park has lost several trees in the past few years... like this one... and this one... and this one.

Wednesday's parting shots

Photos by Steven

As seen today on the west side of First Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street... workers prepping new tree wells for — new trees!...

You can follow this link to request a street tree on your block.

No new trees for these 2 East Village spots

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

On Dec. 1, the city dug up spaces on multiple East Village sidewalks to plant new trees.

Days later, however, we were surprised to see that the newly created tree wells in front of 40 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street and 26 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street were filled in ...

We tracked down a city official who told us the following: "The trees can't go in by 40 Avenue B and 26 Avenue A because the buildings have basements under the sidewalks that Parks found when they excavated. [That is likely] true of the others, though without specific addresses cannot confirm."

Meanwhile, you can follow this link to request a street tree on your block — hopefully in a spot not above a basement. 

Tree-mendous work taking place

From the EVG tipline... city crews were out this morning jackhammering portions of the sidewalk on Avenue A just south of Sixth Street (outside Drom)... turns out they are putting in a tree bed. Ditto for the NE corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street... a tree bed is going in there as well outside the former Sidewalk/August Laura space. 

And maybe more trees are on the way elsewhere in the neighborhood?

City removes tree with Dutch elm disease from Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

Parks workers were in Tompkins Square Park today to remove this American Elm between the main lawn and the dog run... unfortunately, workers said the tree had Dutch elm disease and needed to come down...

Dutch elm disease isn't a stranger to Tompkins Square Park, as we've seen through the years. 

Some background on the diseaase: 

Spread by bark beetles, the disease has decimated elm populations throughout much of Europe and North America.

The leaves on one or more branches of a stricken tree suddenly wilt, turn dull green to yellow or brown, curl, and may drop early. Young, rapidly growing elms may die in one to two months; older or less vigorous trees sometimes take two years or more to succumb. A brown to black discoloration occurs in the white sapwood of wilting branches just under the bark.

Workers remove this elm in Tompkins Square Park

Workers today removed an elm tree said to be dead (or dying) in Tompkins Square Park... (first two photos by Steven)...

The tree is between the dog run and the entrance at Avenue B and Ninth Street, as this photo by Mark Cyr shows...

This is the second large tree that the Park has lost this year.

Noted

Someone left a message on this stump at the entrance to Tompkins Square Park at Seventh Street and Avenue A...

"Jesus is coming. Look busy." 

 OK! Doing laundry.

The tree came down on May 7.

Monday's parting shot

Photos by Steven 

The remains of the massive tree uprooted Saturday afternoon on Avenue A at Seventh Street along Tompkins Square Park. 

Workers removed most of the trunk today...

The Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket is a go today

Despite the downed tree from yesterday afternoon on Seventh Street and Avenue A, the usual vendors for the Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket are here today... set up around the fallen elm — three vendors are on Seventh Street ... the rest along A...

And Steven reports that a tree crew is on the scene...

So long to this sycamore tree on 9th Street

Photos by Steven 

Workers today cut down this sycamore tree on the north side of Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second. 

It was not immediately clear what prompted this removal...

... a worker pointed out a deteriorating and spongy area of the stump...

EVG reader Terry Howell shared this photo...

He writes: 

This lovely sycamore tree and I coexisted peacefully on this block for over 47 years. I don't remember it ever being small. I have no clue why the city choose to murder it today. They will probably say "it's too old," unsafe, etc., etc., etc. My feeling is that Amazon probably needs its own loading space, another restaurant shed needs to be built, a branch might injure a CAR! or it's just inconveniently in the way. I, being old like the sycamore, hope I live long enough to see its spindly replacement sapling, which the city will plant and then ignore. 

Yesterday, city workers also removed a tree on 10th Street just west of First Avenue...

Updated 12:30

The remains of the sycamore after the workers left...