Photo by Ted Todorov.
While Hurricane Joaquin appears to have veered away from New York City, the wind’s been nasty. On Friday night, a large tree on 76th street ripped right out of the ground and tumbled toward to street.
Luckily, a silver SUV was there to stop the tree’s fall.
But local resident Joseph Bolanos tells us the incident still left residents in a precarious position. There’s been evidence of stray voltage on the block for a couple of weeks, and the tree ended up hitting and damaging a lamp post. “The fact that the lamp post was hit, possibly disturbing its base, created a potential fatal electrical hazard! Especially in view of the torrential rain,” he told us.
Although FDNY taped off the area, no one else from the city came to deal with the electrical charge until the morning, he said. Joe wrote a poem for the tree too, because “Every time that we lose a tree, especially a tree on our block, it means a lot to some of us.”
Final thoughts to a fallen friend…
As you realize what has happened and is happening,
I know that words cannot comfort you in these moments.
Still…some things in life must be said…even in the end.Dearest friend, we’ve shared so much history in recent decades
through season after season. With your witnessing so many more seasons past than me.
You were here before me, and now I’ll be here without you.You gave us shade in the hot summer days, and reminded us of the solemnity of winter with your stoic, leafless character.
And because of these things your absence is overwhelming me as I watch
you there helpless. Probably asking “why?’
It is because, my friend, there comes a day for all of us where the present season is our last.The time has come for us to part on this bleak and stormy day.
And unlike us mere human types, who fall…get up, and move on,
you, dear friend, have fallen for the your first and your last time.And as the reaper approaches…
To end it all for you,
I feel a growing sadness
For all the times we knew.Goodbye, dear Tree.
My friend.
You were here before me, and now I’m here alone.
Photos by Joseph Bolanos.
“Although FDNY taped off the area, no one else from the city came to deal with the electrical charge until the morning” sounds pretty good to me.
I wonder if we all take the expression “New York minute” too literally. Some things do take a little time.
For clarification purposes…I was there from 7pm until 1:15AM. FDNY had left by 8ish and the NYPD stayed 90 minutes until around 9:30PM. I was there alone during this time.
And, yes, you’re right. This DID take a “little time”. DOP (Dept of Parks) finally showed up at 8AM the next morning. I was there. So, in fact, it took 13 hours from the tree uprooting for the agency to arrive, even though the FDNY had requested DOP AND DOT through an SR request. DOT…responsible for the affected lamp post..has yet to show up. Now you know.
Joseph, are there plans to replace the tree?
Yes, there are plans to replace the tree. Sadly, we have a few more trees that have died and need to be removed as well.
The main cause of tree deaths in the city, especially of London Planetrees, was due to last years harsh winter where much salt was scattered near the trees and such salt killed the roots in London Planetrees that resulted in their deaths. .
Unfortunately in all of this, the DOP is backlogged and it may take a year or so until we get the tree replacements.
I appreciate your sentiments about the tree. Nice that you took the time to write this tribute.
Thank you. As the years have passed, I have developed a heartfelt appreciation of trees, and especially those on our block, A loss of one, especially an unexpected one, is a loss to all our neighbors.
Thank you for your kind words.
Ditto what Nancy said. Reading your tribute made me sad. I hate to lose those big, majestic trees who have watched over the block for so long. 🙁
Indeed. Many trees have endured the harshest conditions in the past, yet they prove their resilience time and again.
And, like animals, once you make a connection, you’ll never look at a tree the same. 😉
We also lost a tree that stood outside our window during Sandy. She was beautiful – a birch I think – gave us privacy and a sense of cool and calm, which is such a prize in this city. My baby son and I called her Florence. When she came down during the storm I saw the super and other people staggering around in the wind, trying to figure out what to do. I begged them to stake her up, tie her to the building and re-root her somehow. But they pulled her down instead a few days later. I actually cried – never thought a felled tree could cause me to feel so incredibly sad!
It’s amazing, isn’t it. How, once you’ve embraced its presence, a tree can stir up much emotion when it’s in peril, or worse. I understand completely how you felt.
There are more of us that share your sentiments than you might imagine.
You can take a Citizens Pruner course at TREESNYC.org, like I did, and this way you can adopt a tree or trees on your block and prune it yourself. It’s a very gratifying ability, especially since DOP (Dept of Parks) is so backlogged, and delays are common for minor pruning tasks. FYI
A tree also fell over on 67th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam.
Re: “A tree also fell over on 67th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam.”
Okay, BUT, as the Old Philosopher often asked:
‘If no one was around to hear it fall, did it still make a sound?’
A curious nation awaits a reply.
That’s a very good use for a car — to stop a tree from falling on someone’s head or home.