Tree removal Eastern Parkway

franklinandeastern

Just coming home today to see they are decimating the tree population along Eastern Parkway today, May 27. Worker said they were sick trees. But there are now large open areas along the parkway and along the service road. Really too bad. Seems only to be along the south side of the parkway also. Or at least that's where the work is currently being done.

whynot_31

After they remove the old trees and auger out the roots, they will likely plant new trees.

The process takes a few months.

cmartinezn

I also asked one of the operators and he told me they were dead (!!!) trees. Very hard to believe that considering how green and good looking they were. Is the city killing healthy trees and planting new ones for the one million trees program? Sounds ridiculous to me. See attached pictures for a clear idea of what a dying tree is.

crownheightster

Oh no! That is terrible! 

crownheightster

What stretches of Eastern Parkway are being affected? 

mugofmead111

Maybe it's a preventative measure.

At my apartment complex a few months ago, a really large branch fell off a large tree. The branch was so large, it blocked off the path to the front door for a few days. The tree did not appear to be sick or dying. 

cmartinezn

What stretches of Eastern Parkway are being affected? 

So far I've seen them on the south corner of Franklin and EP towards Washington Ave, and the pics I posted were taken on EP between Franklin and Bedford Aves. Three "dead" trees were cut there.

newguy88

Hmm, I'm not a tree expert but they all looked green and healthy to me. Perhaps we missed something like a disease or a parasite? Culling three diseased trees isn't unreasonable.

whynot_31

Maybe it's a preventative measure.

At my apartment complex a few months ago, a really large branch fell off a large tree. The branch was so large, it blocked off the path to the front door for a few days. The tree did not appear to be sick or dying. 

Looking "up" is good. We may also want to look "down".

They may be cutting down trees that have grown too large, because the roots are likely to destroy the sidewalks, sewage mains, subway, etc.

Trees on a complicated street like EP might be not allowed to get too large.

cmartinezn

Maybe it's a preventative measure.

At my apartment complex a few months ago, a really large branch fell off a large tree. The branch was so large, it blocked off the path to the front door for a few days. The tree did not appear to be sick or dying. 

Looking "up" is good. We may also want to look "down".

They may be cutting down trees that have grown too large, because the roots are likely to destroy the sidewalks, sewage mains, subway, etc.

Trees on a complicated street like EP might be not allowed to get too large.

Well, then the trees were not dead, right? I don't think there was a root problem given the size of some of the trees involved (see tree on the third picture, by the SUV and white van).

newguy88

Maybe it's a preventative measure.

At my apartment complex a few months ago, a really large branch fell off a large tree. The branch was so large, it blocked off the path to the front door for a few days. The tree did not appear to be sick or dying. 

Looking "up" is good. We may also want to look "down".

They may be cutting down trees that have grown too large, because the roots are likely to destroy the sidewalks, sewage mains, subway, etc.

Trees on a complicated street like EP might be not allowed to get too large.

That's a very good point. There are several places on the pedestrian plaza where the roots are pushing the sidewalk up.

crownheightster

The tree that looked like a two-pronged trident actually looks pretty diseased. Healthy trees don't grow like that. Just because a tree has leaves does not mean it is perfectly healthy. 

cmartinezn

The tree that looked like a two-pronged trident actually looks pretty diseased. Healthy trees don't grow like that. Just because a tree has leaves does not mean it is perfectly healthy. 

Those are the last 2-3 branches left... the rest is on the ground. I can assure you that tree didn't look sick nor dead...

whynot_31

I suspect guys cutting down trees tell people questioning them something short (ie it is "dead" or "sick"), because they are used to people who have grown attached to trees feeling they are doing something wrong.

They may actually be prepping the area for utility work. ....as noted by yellow and pink marks on the sidewalk.

maggie

Utilities can only remove trees if they have a permit to do so.  And they are required to keep a copy of the permit onsite.  I would ask to see a copy of the permit, if you are concerned. If they don't have a permit I would report it via 311 to parks. Oftentimes utility companies will cut down the trees because its easier for them to work, and then later claim that the trees were accidentally damaged during work and had to be removed as dangerous/unsalvageable.

crownheightster

I just reported this as a possible illegal tree removal to NY Parks and Rec (i even included the link to this page). I am hopeful that they will get back to me and let me know that this was a permitted removal that was necessary for tree health reasons. 

whynot_31

I've been told between 8 and 10 trees have been removed.

Big, old, green ones.

newguy88

Was anyone able to find out if it was sactioned or not?

crownheightster

Still waiting to hear anything from Parks. I heard from the Community Board that trees are only removed by Parks when they are "dead, diseased, or dying." I'm waiting to hear if there is any way we can find out if this was a  sanctioned removal. 

franklinandeastern

While waiting I think it's also time to start harassing 311 to get new trees planted as quickly as possible. Those now big open pockets along the parkway and service road need to be filled.

crownheightster

Start filing tree requests now.

cmartinezn

Still waiting to hear anything from Parks. I heard from the Community Board that trees are only removed by Parks when they are "dead, diseased, or dying." I'm waiting to hear if there is any way we can find out if this was a  sanctioned removal. 

Looking forward to your update. This morning I asked a different subcontractor working on site and he told me those trees were sick, according to the City. It could be termites, bugs or other things. I am still not convinced. Even if they were sick trees, less aggressive measures can be implemented before deciding to chop them off. It will take decades before we get trees as big as many of the ones being removed. I just hope who made the decision is not a doctor, otherwise I wouldn't dare going to his office with sore throat...

crownheightster

Still waiting to hear back from the parks department. however I did talk to one of the subcontractors and they said that they had plans to remove Several trees from Eastern Parkway because of disease. He said that within 2 to 3 weeks they had to replant the trees in the pits that they had taken down the old trees from . I'm still looking forward to the official explanation but it does seem as though this is happening according to some plan. Because I don't think that a bunch of subcontractors to come and take down our trees for absolutely no reason ... Right?

crownheightster

Today I saw a Parks official driving down the Eastern Parkway promenade. Hopefully will get news from them soon!

newguy88

They took a tree down at the south east side of Nostrand and Eastern yesterday.

whatchuwant

They've been marking trees on the Parkway for weeks now- we were wondering what the deal was...guess we know. 

It's sad- but the parks dept always takes exceptional care of the trees on the greenbelt, I'm sure it's justified. 

mantic

Most likely related to the Asian Long Horned Beetle.

I've read they are planning to replace all the trees that are targeted by the beetle.

http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/PI/alb.html

crownheightster

I got a long reply from a lovely person at the Brooklyn Forestry Division of the NYC Parks Service. I actually got this on Friday, but I was traveling over the weekend and unable to post until now. 

"NYC Parks is removing trees along Eastern Parkway following
heavy damage from Hurricane Sandy. The trees were inspected by highly trained,
arboriculture experts with a primary focus on protecting public safety, and
addressing the biological needs of trees.  While Parks regrets the loss of
any tree, all trees being removed during this current project on Eastern
Parkway will be replanted through our Remove and Replant program.  In total,
there are 4 trees along Eastern Parkway access roads that are being removed and
25 in the malls.

After Hurricane Sandy, NYC Parks surveyed all trees within the
inundation zones. The survey looked at approximately 48,000 trees, and
categorized them by leaf coverage. We have been monitoring trees with low
percent leaf-out and observed their behavior throughout the growing
season. We only remove trees that are dead, structurally unsound, or in
such severe decline that they are not likely to recover. Contractors are
currently addressing removals on an ongoing basis, and we expect them to
continue through July 2015.  

 In addition, we have and will continue to remediate soil, as
necessary, with compost and gypsum – both mitigate salt damage – to encourage
the return of healthy biological functioning.   We also encourage
residents to water their street trees, which helps to flush out excess salt.
For more information on tree watering and to learn how you can become a tree
steward, visit milliontreesnyc.org or contact MillionTreesNYC directly at (212)
360-TREE."

franklinandeastern

Just saw this piece in DNA info.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150601/red-hook/city-spends-32m-replace-3600-sandy-damaged-trees-brooklyn

Says trees should be replanted by late 2016, which is quite a ways away. Hopefully the Eastern Parkway and service road trees are replaced sooner than that. Is 311 the only way to try to speed up the replanting?

whynot_31

Now may not be the best time to replant a tree.

crownheightster

Let's all keep an eye out and alert each other when we see replanting happening. My sense is that the Eastern Parkway trees will be replanted in early fall. Though the contractors I spoke to did say "three weeks from now".