Falling tree branches in Brooklyn are an ongoing concern, especially for us in East New York.
Falling Tree Branches 2025
Case in point. I took a walk to the pharmacy today, May 8, 2025. And on the way, I found the latest branches to fall. (see Photos.)
The photos show two of three substantial branches. Imagine one of these hitting you. I do not know if the branch landed on the fence after falling. Or if it was placed there by the property owner.
I checked my survey and found that this tree had a 311 Service Request.
I submitted the request on April 19, 2025. It warned of hanging branches over the parking spot and sidewalk. Seven days later, the Parks Department closed the submission. Stating that no work is necessary at this time. (See image of 311 SR response)
This response is typical of the Park Department’s actions concerning 311 Service Requests.
The good news. I have no reports of damage or injuries resulting from these falling tree branches.
Once again, we are lucky.
Less than a month later, the hanging branches fell.
The Struggle Continues
This article is the latest installment of articles that began with A Tree Branch Hangs in Brooklyn.
Falling Tree Branches in Brooklyn: An Ongoing Concern continues this writer’s efforts to track and document the conditions of trees on my Brooklyn block.
Since the last installment, the Parks Department has made some progress. Read A Bright Orange Hope To Deal With Falling Tree Branches further in this article.
Some trees have been pruned. But the majority of them have not. Except, of course, the trees Con Edison routinely prunes to keep their transmission lines clear.
But there is a catch.
Con Edison Takes Care Of Its Own
Con Edison takes care of the trees that are near their lines. That would be the ones at the highest point of a tree. Anything below that is the responsibility of the Parks Department.
However, the Parks Department claims that because of the power lines, it does not prune those trees.
That would be a decent excuse if no training exists on avoiding power lines or if the lines were in easy reach. But that is not the case.
Not An Issue
Working on trees with power lines that pass through them at a high point is not an issue. Con Edison will take care of the branches close to their lines.
In a way, it reduces the amount of work the Parks Department has to do on these trees.
Pruning branches below the height that Con Edison prunes branches poses no danger. So, no excuse, Parks Department.
I cover the truth about the Parks Department’s reluctance to maintain the so-called trees later in this article.
Summary: Falling Tree Branches 2025
The 2025 survey produced some interesting results.
There are 40 houses on my block. Of that:
- Total Trees = 24
- Houses with no trees = 8
- Trees with no problems at the time of the survey = 5
- Pruned = 4 (This may not include Con Ed pruning)
- Tree Removed and Not Replaced = 7
- New Trees = 8
- 311 Service Request = 14 (This is down from 2024, but the year is still young.)
Special Note
There are three trees with animals living in them.
Two trees have birds living in them. One tree has a family of squirrels living in it.
According to information I read about animals in trees. There is no immediate threat to the tree. However, monitoring of the tree is advised.
Use the arrow or dot controls to view the slide show.
Falling Tree Branches: Survey Comparison in 2024 vs 2025
In 2024, I reported on five incidents of falling tree branches. Those were the ones I could confirm. There were many more that I could not confirm.
311 Service Request
There are forty houses on this block. Eight have no trees. Of the remaining 32 houses. Thirty-one had at least one 311 Service Request by the end of 2024. A few houses had second requests on the same tree because the problem had worsened. The Parks Department closed most Service Requests stating no work needed.
There were a few work orders issued after an “inspection”. Work orders routinely have a 120-day delay. This delay can be extended. I can confirm that by the end of 2024, two trees were pruned by the Parks Department.
So far in 2025, no treeshave received pruning. See the link to the Pruning Map further in this article.
Calling 911
Twice, FDNY Ladder 103 removed branches posing an imminent danger to the public. Articles on those incidents are below.
So far in 2025, I have not had to contact 911. But that can change at any time.
The FDNY Does The Park Department Work
In the event of imminent danger to the public, you can call 911 to remove a hanging tree branch. 911 considers this an emergency and will connect you to the FDNY. But it is not a cure-all for the failure of the Parks Department to maintain the trees. Hanging branches of this type should be a rare occurrence. But it has become more common than you would think.
Links to the article on how the FDNY did the Parks Department’s Job are below. Note that the first incident was in 2023. That gives you an idea of how long I have been tracking the tree problem.
Incident Date: 12/19/2023 Article Release Date 1/26/24
https://catsfiregalleries.org/guardian/a-tree-branch-hangs-in-brooklyn-continues
Incident Date: 6/17/2024 Article Release Date 7/23/24
https://catsfiregalleries.org/guardian/look-up-hanging-branches-are-falling-in-brooklyn
Property Damage 2024 From Falling Tree Branches
There were at least three cars damaged by falling tree branches.
From one tree alone, there were four falling tree branches. No car sustained damage from these branches. Not all cars on the block hit by falling tree branches were so lucky.
So far in 2025, there have been fewer branches falling. And I have had no reports of cars damaged. The lack of reported falling branches or damage to vehicles is misleading. There are two possible answers to this phenomenon.
- Lots of times, no one reports damage from branches. The branch mentioned at the top of this story was not reported to me. I happened upon it.
- The second reason is that some branches reported in 2024 fell in 2024. The result is fewer falling branches in 2025, at least for now.
- And as stated above. Falling tree branches were not reported and were disposed of by the property owner.
Falling Tree Branches: Report Damage or Injury
If your property is damaged by a falling branch, report it to 311 and consider getting a lawyer for monetary compensation.
When I approached the subject of trees damaging cars. I was asked if the owner reported the incident. The answer was I don’t know or No.
End of story. Meaning it never happened.
If you want things to get better, file a report.
Get a lawyer.
It’s Not All The Parks Department’s Fault
I mentioned that there is more to the Parks Department’s inability to care for the so-called Street Trees.
I wrote about this in a previous article. The link to that article appears later in this article. Factors beyond the Park Department’s control added to the inability to maintain the trees.
I urge you to read the article. And pay close attention to two things.
One is how the Parks Department values Park Trees over Street Trees.
The second is how the Adams administration shortchanged the Parks Department budget.
That is not to say he is the only mayor to do this. He is not. But it shows a practice of mayors cutting Parks Department funding. The result is the unseen danger from above. Hanging Tree Branches.
Outsourcing Leads To A Lack Of Pruning
The Parks Department, at one time, did not prune the trees. They contracted that job out to two companies. That would be an error, as both companies were later removed from the job.
Because of the type of contract, bidding for the pruning job.
No other company could take over the job. Next came the domino effect that affected tree pruning.
- The only two companies contracted to prune trees in the five boroughs have been kicked off the job.
- The Parks Department can not reassign the pruning contract to any other company.
- No pruning has been done for years because no company has a contract with the Parks Department.
- The trees suffer.
See the Brooklyn Paper excerpt in the following article.
Read Now The Reasons The Parks Department Cannot Care For Street Trees
Lack Of Training
Using an outside contractor to do the pruning caused another domino effect.
Parks Department personnel are not trained to prune trees. Instead, they are supposed to inspect the trees and make a recommendation. I have only seen one inspector stop and inspect a tree.
No Oversight for Inspections
All my 311 SRs came back with a response that an inspector had seen the trees. There were no dates or times for this inspection. But all the responses had the same date. This inspection process shows a lack of transparency by the Parks Department.
Consider the following inspections.
Inspection 1
I have seen a Parks Department car come down the street, stop by a tree, and then move on. The person never exited the vehicle or inspected the tree. However, I did receive a response stating that the tree had been examined. And no work was required at this time.
Inspection 2
My wife spoke to an inspector who looked at a tree from her car. She told my wife that she saw no problem. My wife directed her to exit the vehicle and look up.
Above, the inspector was part of a cut limb that had lodged onto another limb. It was right above the inspector’s head. The inspector’s report did not mention the cut limb. A check of the interactive tree map never mentioned the cut limb part. However, it is gone. It may have fallen on its own, and the owner disposed of it.
Read Two Inspection Cases With One Common Procedural Problem
https://catsfiregalleries.org/guardian/two-inspection-cases-with-one-common-procedural-problem
Parks Department: Lack Of Transparency
Finally, there is a lack of transparency from the Parks Department.
Instead of admitting and informing the various community boards that they don’t have enough money, people, training, and equipment to do the job.
They have chosen to respond to 311 Service Requests as if they can do the job without those items.
They cannot.
If they put the truth out in the public eye. Then the blame would fall where it should.
And who is to blame?
In my opinion, it is the people who repeatedly cut the Parks Department budget. Diverting the funds to their pet projects. Resulting in a reduction of service.
A Bright Orange Hope To Deal With Falling Tree Branches
On 10/15/2024, a sight that had not been seen for years appeared on my street.
Before me was a Park Department crew sent to prune a tree. A tree with a 311 Service Request. You cannot miss this truck. It is a nice new orange truck. Or maybe yellow, but it was not green.
The woman pruning the tree did an excellent job. As did the rest of the crew, in cleaning up the street after the pruning.
Park Department Crew At Work Slideshow
Use the arrow or dot controls to view the slide show.
The Beginning Of Something Good?
When I asked if more trucks were coming. The response was that they have a small number of trained people. And because the job is dangerous, there are few applicants for it.
I asked about the tree across the street. That tree had more branches fall from it than all the others. The person in charge stated they could not access the tree because of the parked cars.
I then asked why they didn’t put up a notice that there would be tree pruning that day. He had no answer.
He informed me that he was not given the 311 Service Request I submitted. So he did not have any photos of the tree.
The crew was just told to go to my street and prune trees. No advanced notice. No 311 SR. And no photos.
Note. I was told that crews are not given photos of the problem with the tree. They assess the issue when they arrive on the scene.
So here’s what happened.
- The Parks Department dispatches a crew to prune trees without notifying anyone. The result is cars parked in places where the crew needs to get to.
- The crew has no 311 Service Requests to point them to the trees that need pruning.
- They have no photos of the trees or hanging branches.
- But they are told to prune the trees.
Now It’s Up To You
I have been fighting this tree problem since 2023. I am self-employed, so no payment for this work. The Board of Directors of my company agreed to allow me to use company resources in this charitable effort. But now it is time to get back to company business.
Wyona Street N&H Block Association
The Wyona Street N&H Block Association is working with me to keep this project moving. They are moving into the lead position on the effort. And we are working with Council member Chris Banks and Chief of Staff Mike Lambert to protect and maintain our trees. But what about your trees?
What To Do If Your Block Has Hanging Branches?
If your block does not have a Block Association, contact your council member’s office and bring this problem to their attention.
It is up to you, dear reader, and others like you to look up. Look up and report hanging tree branches. Make the city protect and maintain our trees. And to protect you and your loved ones from falling tree branches.
Hegeman and Vermont
Down the block lies Hegeman Ave. Around the corner is Vermont St. and in the slideshow below are the trees on those streets that have problems. I don’t know if either street has a Block Association. Nonetheless, I submitted a 311 Service Request on both locations.
Why, you may ask? Because I have to drive and/or walk under those trees.
Looking up at hanging branches over street. Arrow point to two branches. Image of branches over street showing one branch resting on a cable over the street. The other is hanging from a tree limb. Looking up at a hanging branch over the sidewalk Image of hanging branch over street Image of tree limbs over the street. These limbs may be dying. Image: Close-up of dead or dying tree limbs over the street. Image: Wide shot of dead or dying tree limbs. One limb is missing part of it top. It shows signs of distress. Close-up view of tree limbs showing distress.
Interested In Learning More? Check Out the Resource Links
Link To Interactive Tree Map: Brooklyn https://tree-map.nycgovparks.org/tree-map/borough/3
The interactive tree map shows all the trees in the five boroughs. It is supposed to be updated regularly. I have found that not to be true. However, you will find useful information about the tree in your neighborhood.
Once on the website, enter your address to see the tree at your location.
Link to Interactive Tree Map: Wyona St https://tree-map.nycgovparks.org/tree-map/tree/5098097
Click on this link to go to Wyona St, Brooklyn, NY. Once there, use the zoom tool to pinpoint the tree you are interested in. Trees are designated by the house number.
Link to Pruning Schedule
https://www.nycgovparks.org/services/forestry/tree-pruning
The pruning schedule is both a map and a list of trees. Here, you can search and see if the trees in your area are scheduled for pruning and when.
Enter the zip code in the search bar to see the area.
No Data Meaning
A return of No Data in your search means that no data exists for pruning in the search area.
As of May 8, 2025. There is no data about Wyona St.
It Happened Again
I am beginning to think that I should stop going to the pharmacy.
During my latest trip there. I saw something that stopped me cold. And instead of finishing this article. I spent several hours photographing, editing, and submitting a 311 Service Request. The reality is that 311 has no categories in the service request queue covering hanging tree limbs. I had to submit the 311 as a hanging branch.
This Just In
A new hanging branch over a parking space is not earth-shattering. Unless the branch is hanging by a few thin branches and dangling inmid air.
And then there is the hanging tree limb, not a branch, which is over the sidewalk. Most of it is leaning on another tree limb that leads to a parking spot. The tree limb had an estimated base of three inches. And an approximate length of eleven plus feet. 311 does not have a hanging tree limb category. I had to submit this as a hanging branch.
The tree limb is resting against another tree limb. Part of the tree limb is in the air. The top section of a broken tree limb is lying against another tree limb. The length of the tree limb is approximately 11 feet. The tree limb looking up from the base up along the tree. The base is estimated to be 3.4 inches wide.
Next came informing the Block Association in hopes that they would reach out to the owners and tenants of the houses where these trees are near.
So far, the Block Association is waiting for 311 to act on both situations.
There is one other reality. Because the Parks Department is incapable of maintaining the trees. More and more branches and tree limbs will continue falling for a long time.
There are a few ways to go from one article to another in this series. One is at the end of each article, where there is a link to the previous or next article. But until now, there was no one place where all the articles were listed. Now there is.
To see links to all the articles, click here to go to the Navigation Page. There you will find links to all the articles in this series.
Words From The Bubble
Today’s Words From The Bubble is philosophical. No politics today.
Life is fair. It is people who make it unfair. Change that, and things get better.
StormShadow58
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