A tree branch hangs in Brooklyn or the unseen danger from above. Which do you prefer? That is an unfair question because you don’t know the whole story. I wrote this article to highlight the sheer frustration of trying to get the Parks Department to do its job. That job is to protect us New Yorkers from the danger of hanging tree branches and limbs.
Tree Branch vs. Tree Limb
Before we go any further, you must know the difference between a tree branch and a tree limb. This difference is important in a service request to the Parks Department.
The short layman’s version is this. A tree limb grows out of the tree base. The base is part of the tree growing from the ground up. Tree branches sprout out from the tree limb and produce leaves. Tree limbs are usually larger than branches.
For an exact definition of the two, click on the link below. The source goes into detail about trees, tree limbs, and branches.
Tree Limbs vs Branches
Tree Anatomy: DEFINING TREES & FORMS
Dr. Kim D. Coder, Professor of Tree Biology & Health Care, Warnell School, UGA
https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/files/15277.pdf
My Inspection
It all started after one of those all-day rain storms with high winds. The type of storm that damages trees and brings down branches and tree limbs. On my walk to the drugstore, I looked up at the tree branches. This inspection is something I have done ever since spotting a tree limb snapped off from one of the tall trees on my block.
The limb had fallen onto another limb. That was the only thing keeping it from falling to the ground. Since then, I have inspected the trees on our tree-lined block after such storms.
Two Tree Branches
On September 26, 2023, I spotted two branches that posed a threat to anyone walking by them. One was over my driveway. Or better yet, over the curve cut on the sidewalk. Anyone walking along the sidewalk would pass under this branch. And so would any car going in and out of the driveway. The branch was long enough. And thick enough to hurt anyone and damage any car it hit.
And The Next Tree Branch
The next branch was a long, thick branch hanging over a parking spot. That branch was vertical and hanging from other branches. If it fell, it would crash through the windshield of a car. Or seriously injure or possibly kill the driver as that person entered or exited the vehicle.
Contacting The Parks Department
That same day, I spotted these two branches, and I sent notices about both trees to the Parks Department through the NYC.gov website. I had photographed the branches and explained that they were going to fall.
I received an automated response stating that someone from the Parks Dept would be out in 4 days to look at the trees.
But on November 5th, 2023, this request was closed.
Analysis and Questions
Let’s look at a few things. The Parks Department closed my service request. But there is a work order for the tree condition. How can you have a work order for a closed request?
Usually, Closing a request means that you have considered the request. And have decided that further action is not necessary.
Opening a work order means the request has merit, and you will work on it. So, should not the request remain open until the job is complete?
And why would it take a year to remove this branch? Is the Parks Department that busy, or is it underfunded?
Lastly, why should I, or any taxpaying New Yorker, have to hire a contractor to do the Parks Department’s job?
Checking My Tree Branch Service Requests
A check of my service requests to the Parks Department showed that I submitted a complaint about the vertical hanging branch on 8/13/23. So, here it was a month later, and the branch still posed a danger.
This means that since the first request, which was closed. Another tree branch became a threat of injury.
Two of the Service Requests I submitted over three months.
But in all fairness to the Parks Department, it was on the wrong form. Nonetheless, the Parks Department claimed someone came to inspect the hanging tree branch. But somehow, the DPR felt that there was no problem.
What do you think? Click on the images of the tree branches. Would you feel safe under them? Until the branch’s removal, only people who did not know of its existence parked in that spot
Reaction To Response
I never saw anyone from the Parks Department. But I did receive an email. The email stated that they classified the branch as not needing immediate attention. And that the tree was in fair condition. This response also said that if the branch was on Con Ed lines, I should contact them.
But here’s the thing. If someone did see the branch, that person would have noticed whether the branch was on Con Ed lines. And if it were, should not the Parks Department contact Con Ed?
Pruning What Pruning?
And there is one other thing. I cannot remember the last pruning of time the trees. I have seen Con Ed pruning trees around their lines. But those lines are on one side of the street, not both sides. So, the trees opposite the Con Ed lines are not pruned by Con Ed.
So unless the Parks Department does it, the trees opposite the Con Ed lines never get pruned.
Timeline Analysis
This first request was before the 9.26.23 request.
And the 9.26.23 request was not updated until 10.19.23. So this branch -reported on 8.13.23- has been a threat for over two months and counting.
So, here it is.
The department, whose job is to protect us from damaged trees, did not see a reason to move on the problem then or now.
No Transparency
One of the other problems I have with the Parks Department is the lack of detailed information in its report.
The response lacked a time and date of the inspection. Nor were there any photos from their point of view to back up their assertion. What the report does do is pass responsibility for the removal of the tree branch on to someone else.
The words lack of transparency come to mind.
The Inspectors At Work
The following two examples will not explain why the response is so limited. But it will shed light on how inspectors perform an inspection.
To keep things moving, I will summarize the two cases here. But I have included a link to the full stories for you to read later.
Summary of The Inspectors At Work
These two cases showcase a weakness in the Parks Department’s follow-up on complaints. In one case, the inspector noted problems with a tree. But I did not see him write anything down. Nor did he take any photos of the tree.
In the second case, the inspector did not leave her car to inspect the branch. Nonetheless, she determined that the branch could wait until pruning. She was wrong. It fell.
Click here to read the short but detailed account of these two incidents.
Yet Another Tree Branch Service Request
November 5, 2023, Tree Branch Service Request
After my previous request, it became necessary to submit another one. An all-day rainstorm with moderate winds had occurred.
And the branch over the sidewalk had moved. But that was just the beginning of more problems.
Long story short. Another automated response came to me. It stated that a report had already existed and a determination made. Again, the Parks Department closed my request.
They didn’t even bother to read the request. How do I know?
Easy. Had someone read the notice, that person would have noticed this was an updated submission to the previous one. And things were getting worse. How much worse?
Another storm would break off more branches. And the one over the driveway moved closer to falling.
At this point, the situation had become one of imminent danger. Something drastic needed to be done.
The Parks Department was not coming to our aid.
The best they could offer was either a year’s wait for service. Or hire a contractor myself. And that is not an option.
To Be Continued
Click the link below to read the next installment of A Tree Branch Hangs In Brooklyn Part 1: No Help Coming.
To see all the photos submitted with my service request, click on the button below.
And while you are looking at them, ask yourself. Does this look safe to you? Would you want your loved one walking under it?
I am not showing the three months of service requests because if you have seen one, you have seen them all. It’s sort of like wash, rinse, and repeat.
Click on the button to return to the Navigation Page
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