Updated
Washington Square Park Blog received word that “two huge trees” were being chopped down in the Northwest Quadrant of the park late last month. A reader wrote in: “TWO huge trees are getting taken down as I write. Both in the NW corner. Needless to say (but I’ll say it again,) the refusal to plant new trees is infuriating.” They reported that “trimming” of park trees occurred throughout that day impacting five or six trees.
Why do the park trees keep dying?
Dead Squirrel Found Near Axed Tree
Dani and Pietro Projects noted about the park trees’ removal on Twitter/X: “I also picked up a small dead squirrel waterlogged in the mud closely, probably dislodged in its nest.” Sad.
NYC Parks Department Response
Washington Square Park Blog reached out to the NYC Parks Department about the two trees’ axing. The city agency’s response was that the trees were in poor condition. One tree was an English elm, and, according to the agency, in “overall decline,” and the other, a Norway maple, had “severe decrease in the canopy and poor structure.”
Tree Decline Predicted Years Ago Prior to Park Redesign
When the park’s controversial redesign was proposed, one of the lawsuits attempting to stop it specifically addressed potential harm to the park’s trees due to inadequate protection during construction. The premise was the decline of the trees would not happen immediately — it might take seven, ten or more years but many of the trees would die. I think this is what we are seeing. We already have witnessed multiple trees die around the Fountain Plaza after the city chopped down the previous trees – which were 40 years old! – to move the fountain 22 feet east to “align” with the Arch. Some of the new trees were replanted in the same locations around the Fountain multiple times and kept dying. It seems to have stopped for now (a new type of tree was planted).
Arborist Input on Recent Tree Decline
When Washington Square Park Blog reported on the demise of the large Elm by Garibaldi Plaza, we received these comments:
Naomi Zurcher, certified arborist:
The mismanagement inflicted on NYC’s public trees at the hands of NYC Parks & Rec Capital Division is well known and utterly inexcusable. There are well-documented protocols and procedures for protecting the existing treed landscape when in immediate proximity to spatial development projects but NYC Parks & Rec NEVER incorporate those protocols and procedures into the Design specifications and Plan Drawings that are then appended to a contract nor are they ever implemented or enforced during the Build Phase of these projects. …
What is forgotten is that these trees belong to the Public and the disdain the Capital Division has for them and the impunity with which they routinely operate results in a loss of this invaluable and cost-effective asset.
UrbanMole:
While there are many elements in the urban and natural environment that can force a shade tree into declining health and premature death, the most well known element in the urban landscape that drives the greater tree mortality across the City of NY is – construction impacts and damage. The views above of public parkland trees in the landscape amid a NYC Parks Capital WSP reconstruction project is a great example. The removal of the hardscape pavers atop of the sensitive, wide spreading tree root system, the daily operation of heavy trucks, staging and storage of equipment and material, open cut trenching for new curbs and utility installation etc all takes place even today notably absent would be a full time Project Arborist knowledgeable about protecting trees in construction sites and with some authority to directly intervene on the trees behalf when interventions are needed. But that rarely happens bc Parks Capital projects are not at all about tree preservation and conservation.
Rest in peace, poor squirrel. Hopefully, they are checking for nests and wildlife before chopping down these trees.
Previously at Washington Square Park Blog:
Another Tree Bites the Dust at Washington Square Park | Goodbye, Garibaldi Elm August 12, 2024
Are More Trees Dying Around the Washington Square Fountain — Making Tally Eleven Dead Fountain Trees Since 2009? May 6, 2014 [I’m pretty sure the last tally I had was fourteen trees dying around the fountain alone but it’s probably more.]
Photos: Dani and Pietro Projects via Twitter/X