Should the City's Million-Tree Plan Get Pruned?
Before we try to get thousands and thousands of new trees to grow in Brooklyn, we should take care of the ones we already have. That’s the gist of a discussion thread started by a poster on the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association Yahoo group who argues the city doesn’t trim existing trees in a timely…
Before we try to get thousands and thousands of new trees to grow in Brooklyn, we should take care of the ones we already have. That’s the gist of a discussion thread started by a poster on the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association Yahoo group who argues the city doesn’t trim existing trees in a timely enough fashion—a task it should be more on top of as the mayor’s ballyhooed plaNYC initiative to plant a million trees starts to take root. CB6 Chair Craig Hammerman weighs in on the discussion by saying there’s a really scary element to the million-tree plan:
It used to be that requests for tree plantings had to have the consent of the property owner or some responsible party at the planting location. Seems like the City doesn’t want to function that way anymore. Now anyone can request that a tree be planted anywhere, property owner be damned…Why force a tree on someone who may very well have a perfectly legitimate reason for not wanting one? As if the trees in this City didn’t have a hard enough time trying to survive a tough urban environment.
Think these are good points? Does the tree-planting initiative impinge on property owners’ rights, and should the city be doing more to take care of our existing trees?
10:50: I’m 11:13. Thanks for your response. That’s good info to know.
Whinge, whinge, whinge. I’m a brownstone owner too. You buy the house, you buy the responsibility. Don’t like the deal, NYC is full of fine rentals for you.
Trees are important but what’s more trees without more cowbells?? I bet nobody bothered to the hard questions.
The sidewalk law basically makes commerical owners liable for sidewalk-related accidents, but homeowners (I believe it is 1-2-3 family homes) are exempt from liability. At the same time, you are supposed to maintain your sidewalk — I think they can ticket you etc.
If a tree on city property is causing damage to your sidewalk, the city will fix the sidewalk. This can take a long time. The appropriate forms etc are on the City’s website.
I have a tree in front of my house that I am convinced is succumbing to maple wilt. I called 311 to see if there was anything I could do to help the tree, or if Parks does anything about this, but was told that all they do is (1) prune, or (2) remove a dead tree.
Yes, when Bloomberg removed the City’s liability for sidewalk injuries and placed on property owners, the insurance companies had yet another tool trying to up rates and/or pull out of their NYC policies. Insurance companies, made hay threatening non-renewing/dropping policyholders for small sidewalk height difference that went ignored in 2000. Annoying.
Tree roots can be very damaging. Not only do they heave sidewalks but also the brownstone curbing at the property line. This heaving can completely warp and bend wrought iron. There’s a good example of this at the southwest corner of Lafayette and Cumberland where the sidewalk is very narrow. You can’t get a stroller through very easily even.
FG/TGL
“I don’t think the city will repair the sidewalk of a private residence. C’mon, you own a gazillion dollar brownstone, why should the tax payer pay for the repair of your sidewalk?”
Read my post (12:15). My neighbor OFFERED to pay to have the work done, and he’ll STILL pay, but the city said he couldn’t touch the trees. READ, man (or woman)!
I don’t think the city will repair the sidewalk of a private residence. C’mon, you own a gazillion dollar brownstone, why should the tax payer pay for the repair of your sidewalk? The city will send someone to prune the tree roots if YOU are re-doing your sidewalk. You can get in trouble if you cut the roots yourself. They will send you to tree jail.
But you really have to open your own wallet to pay for the repair of your sidewalk. Sidewalks are funny. They technically belong to the city but they are your finacial liability.
Sorry.
The city came through Boerum Hill earlier this year and trimmed all the street trees…they look great.
“The sidewalks in front of our home had been damaged by city trees.”
The process worked for you, it appears, in large part because the city acknowledged their damage and did something about it. However on my tree-lined block in Crown Heights, the problem is some of the trees are so old and large the roots are cracking and LIFTING the sidewalk. My next-door neighbor’s tree, directly in front of his house, is particularly bad. He’s asked the city if he can cut the roots down (they are screwing up his sewer line in addition to the sidewalk). But the city won’t let him, because the tree is supposedly city property. The city has also declined thus far to do the work itself. Here we have a homeowner who want to MAINTAIN (not cut down) a tree and the city won’t help. Our block association has levied official complaints about this situation, and participated in a city program to REPORT overgrown roots, etc. and NOTHING has happened. I and my neighbors on the block do love trees – they add wonderful character, fresh air and shade to our block – but the city ABSOULTELY has a responsibility, in my opinion, to maintain existent trees before planting thousands more. And they can start on my block.