Sunday, June 10, 2007

School construction destruction

Construction of PS 244, Flushing:

NYC School Construction Authority Removes Irreplaceable 100+ year old European Beech

"After efforts a year ago by community advocates to save this tree on Franklin Avenue in downtown Flushing, public officials (engineers, architects and administrators) at the School Construction Authority of the Board of Education decided that this healthy public tree on BoE property contributed very little to the community and was not worth saving. Originally part of the a large estate this copperleafed Beech was allowed to grow undisturbed for over 100 years providing grace and beauty to this neighborhood.

Our large and mature shade trees are increasingly being lost due to development without vision. This tree could have been integrated into the landscape and new building design, but the SCA chose not to. Another fine remnant tree from the Parson's Nursery era denied the chance to grow to its full potential. Shame on you SCA." - Tree Lover

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a shame.

Anonymous said...

What coarse, crude, vulgar and ignorant people. The tree doesn't serve me? Kill it!

How emblematic of the Bloomberg management.

Anonymous said...

I agree it's sad the tree's gone, but according to this post, it was over 100 years old already. Is this kind of tree like a redwood which can live for hundreds of years?

Anonymous said...

The Weeping Beech tree at Kingsland Homestead (headquarters of the Queens Historical Society) lived well beyond 150 years! Now its "sprouts" have matured continuing its family!

The last poster doesn't know a thing about this particular species!

I suppose if your mother is 90 years old it would be OK to bump her off because (you think) she's past her prime!!!

verdi said...

Almost all builders view trees merely as annoying weeds to be pulled out so they can maximize the footprint of their structure!

Queens Crapper said...

Is this kind of tree like a redwood which can live for hundreds of years?

Read this post, and you'll see that these types of trees can live for centuries:

Providing safe arbor

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this link, Queens Crapper! Tell the developers to read it, and they'll keep lying through their teeth. Is the school construction authority educating by destroying our trees? What example is being set for our children? Shame on the products of the Bloomberg Administration!

Anonymous said...

The "School Construction Authority" ought to have their minds reconstructed.... That's if they didn't already leave it somewhere!

P.S. Thanks, Mayor Doomberg!

mv said...

I remember as a small kid, circa 1983-1985, there used to be a really old looking house that had trees surrounding it. Does anyone know the story about the house?

mc

Anonymous said...

It is a crying shame that this particular tree had to be removed. The tree, a European Copper Beach Tree as it is commonly called was never supposed to grow in this region of the states. As for its health, the tree was in dire straights due to its removal of many primary and secondary roots systems when the Baxter House Condo's were built. Basically half the tree was already dead, the upper branches were broken and ready to come down. The tree was removed for the protection of the community and adjacent properties.

Anonymous said...

The last post is out of line and likely employed by the SCA. The Copperleafed Beech was professional assessed as being in generally good health, structurally intact and no decay though some deadwood in the canopy. The improperly cut branches on its west side could have been corrected. Here's a good one. The SCA dropped a hint as to who one of their own tree xperts that evaluated the Beech for its removal- QBG's Susan Lacerte. We all know what she's done to the trees at the Garden during the construction of her new 'green' admin building. There is no finer speciman tree. Fagus sylvatica "Purpurea' (Copperleafed beech) does well throughout Hardiness Zones 4-7 and can live for several hundred years. Numerous healthy specimans are found throughout Flushing.