You may have noticed that one of our trees on 181st street is now gone. Here’s what’s happening with our tree:
This past spring, an arborist hired by the Board to check all our trees advised the Board that the second tree from the corner of Haven, a Sophora Japonica, would not survive and posed a hazard with dead limbs that could fall. The recommendation was that the tree be removed. The Parks Department was then contacted, who evaluated the tree and agreed. The arborist said he suspected that the tree was damaged back in 2011 by Hurricane Irene, and never fully recovered.
The city contractors recently cut down the tree, and the request for the stump’s removal has already been made. The Board has also filed a request that the tree be replaced, and we are told that this will happen sometime in the next two years, as part of the Million Trees NYC program. Obviously, we are hoping it happens sooner rather than later. If we get the chance to make a specific request, we will ask for a pin oak, which grows very tall and is able to stand up to strong winds.
It’s hard to have lost our once-beautiful tree, which looks to have been about 35 years old, but it’s part of the hard life of nature coexisting with our challenging urban environment and our windy block. As we wait, let’s continue to enjoy and nurture the trees we do have. Thanks to everyone who has been helping care for the trees and flowers, and enjoying the building’s plants.
We can still use help with watering! If you are interested in joining the watering crew, or helping with planting bulbs this fall, please contact Jane Maisel, on behalf of the Board Gardening Committee, at jsmaisel@gmail.com