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Subject: Illegal Activity at Forest Hills Tree Pit
To The Parks Department, Councilmember Koslowitz, & Assemblyman Hevesi,
I would like to report a time-sensitive matter. A healthy mature tree's tree pit was illegally filled with cement, as the sidewalk was redesigned on the side of an apartment building in Forest Hills. The site is the west side of 68th Avenue between Queens Boulevard and Yellowstone Boulevard. A nearby address is 103-25 68th Avenue.
Constricting the trunk of the tree from its nutrients will likely cause the tree to die prematurely. Offenders need to pay a violation and be held responsible for restoring the tree pit and rescuing the tree.
I propose harsher penalties for causing damage to trees inclusive of arborcide. The offender should be required to finance at least 2 new trees and their planting either at the site or in close proximity.
Please respond as soon as you can, so we can solve this quality of life issue and formulate more effective solutions for an environmentally sustainable and aesthetically pleasing New York.
Sincerely,
(Name withheld)
16 comments:
Pure ignorance and a lack of education...
According to someone I know at the Parks Department who seems very knowledgeable about such matters, there are already laws in place that would impose severe fines against a person who would do such a thing (over $10,000).
Unfortunately, it's the same old story - these laws are rarely, if ever, enforced. Why? There's insufficient funding for proper enforcement.
It's so incredibly stupid to me that money has been set aside to plant hundreds of thousands of new street trees yet there is no funding to adequately maintain and protect them (not to mention the hundreds of thousands of existing NYC street trees).
Dumb people who want to kill the tree.
The thing that annoys me more than the moron who did that is the parks dept won't fix it and will just leave it so the tree dies. We need a group of voulenteers who pick up some sledgehammers and give the tree back its pit.
I see your request on the 311 service request map. "The Department of Parks and Recreation usually requires 8 days to respond to this type of complaint."
>> We need a group of volunteers who pick up some sledgehammers and give the tree back its pit.
I couldn't agree more - Tree Pit Ninjas!
Can we get an address so that we all can file a complaint with the Parks Dept. as we all did for the arboricide situation in Ozone Park on April 9th? (And here is where I get cynical-was that situation resolved ? And if it was not, isn't lack of action the reason
folks like me give up and turn a blind eye about all of the things we deeply care about as we seem unable to impact change...and isn't that what "they" want -for us all to give up ?Just to raise my spirits a bit:can we get parking avengers help on this case?I need a super hero to fight for what is right and help save our beautiful and valuable trees.)
Another sad thing is that the Parks Dept. is dedicated to doing as little work as possible to the point of lying. So like if a person (me) reports that a beautiful big healthy tree was cut down on my block for no reason except that it required trimming, and asks them to investigate, they fire right back saying the Parks Dept. cut it down. Case Closed. So one of two things: either they are total liars or total morons.
the first poster - you can say that about a lot of the legislation that is passed - its all photo op city with the pols knowing the public does not remember what they had for dinner 2 days ago.
The best way to get even is to call up the green groups - especially those that hang out around the library (yes, THAT library) and ask them if they are so green why the hell aren't they doing anything about this.
Report back to crappy so we can all have some fun.
It's not too late to save the tree. The question is whether a citizen will do it, or wait too late for a city agency to not do it. Get a sledge, smash up the cement.
Totally true: it is not too late to save this tree. I haven't got a sledge hammer. And even if I did (and believe me , I do want this tree saved) I also want the person that did this held accountable. (I am cynical but there is a trace of idealism still left in me somewhere but it is getting dimmer and dimmer and maybe that is why a tree matters so much to me on the sunny day) And I vote and pay taxes so goal 3# is to get those that are paid to safe guard our tress to do the job they are paid to do. And since I vote and go to my precinct council meetings and am a 3rd generation Queens resident who loves the area and NYC in general very much, I think elected officials should get involved when folks like me can't make the impact that needs to be made. Queens Crap is a great resource ,with many great , involved ,,connected , educated readers who know our area and love it and know how to make things happen for the better and so I am asking this resource to give me (and everyone else) and address for this tree and more importantly, give me an idea so I can help save this tree, improve our area and turn things in general just a little bit in the right direction. And thanks in advance for any help -know that I appreciate it greatly because I do still care.
I walk down city streets and see a variety of big, beautiful and healthy trees surrounded by cement and asphalt street paving.
Sometimes the cement and asphalt are within inches of the tree trunk.
I also see trees that are outgrowing their cement environs; roots lifting sidewalk flags to the point where there is a trip/fall hazard; curbs that are being raised by the strength of the tree growth; sidewalks cracking by root expansion beneath them.
Placing a thin layer of cement around the root base of an established tree is illegal and foolish. Within a year or so the cement will be cracked and broken and the tree will be flourishing as it should.
To think that a mere covering of un-enforced concrete is going to reek havoc on the health of an established tree is ignorance. It is an admirable concern for the local flora but still ignorant.
Look around at our local parks where trees are surrounded by nothing but dirt and there are still dead trees.
In addition I would wager that the trees in the pictures get watered with dog urine more than rainwater.
The address is 103-25 68th Avenue.
It's obvious that whoever did this did it because they didn't want to care for the tree pit when it's full of weeds and garbage. The FH Green Team is a group of volunteers who clean and care for the tree pits along Continental Ave. We'll be there 4/26. Join us. I agree volunteers need to break up this cement asap.
The address is not 103-25 68th Ave. It is 67-70 Yellowstone Blvd. between 67th Drive & 68th Avenue. There is one cemented tree on the 68th Ave. side and there are two on 67th Drive.
Take a look at the entire property. It's very nasty. It has a large rear yard with broken benches and graffiti. Several trees are dying there. One tree's roots have been tarred over. It has a tree on the 68th Ave. side of the property (68th Ave.) that looks like it's been beaten to death. Tree stump in front, now a trash pit.
The whole property is like a vacant lot. Very dirty and in bad repair. 6-story building.
Wow, that's just rude.
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