SCENE FROM THE STREET
Nature vs. The City
By Brian J. Pape, AIA
Much like a “Before and After” picture, looking north along West 11th Street shows a healthy and intact sycamore tree in a small tree pit on the left, with a relatively new sidewalk slab around it, though the tree leans over the street. Further east (right), a similar tree has fallen into the street, for no apparent natural reason, raising the question of whether the other street trees might soon fall also. Photo Credit: Brian J Pape, AIA.
To add to the surprises, the city Parks Department had replanted a young tree in a larger tree pit by June 10, which must be a record. The sidewalk was returned to a pristine condition, with the former slab neatly and flatly in place, almost like nothing happened. A happy ending? Thank goodness no one was hurt. Photo Credit: Brian J Pape, AIA.
It was a bizarre scene on Saturday, May 30, after a Village View fan alerted me of a fallen tree on West 11th between 6th and 7th avenues. There had been some wind, but not a big storm, so a falling tree was not expected. The block is lined with similar-aged and size of trees; all others were intact. City service teams had cordoned off the street and sidewalk but had not yet removed the mature sycamore/London plane tree from its resting place across cars on both sides of the street.
What could cause a healthy-looking tree like this to topple over?
As you know, in nature, the spread of tree branches above ground reflect the spread of tree roots below ground. But in an urban environment, trees are often planted in “tree pits” along the curbline of city streets, and are intentionally “boxed in” so that the roots won’t damage nearby utility lines or basement walls. So even in the best of circumstances, street trees struggle to find room to grow and water to survive (recent standards have been upgraded to provide larger “pit” areas than previously required). Still, most street trees do survive for a long time.
While viewing this fallen tree, a neighbor talked to me about the damaged cars. He also mentioned that he had observed a contractor replacing the sidewalk slabs that had been pushed up by the expanding roots, a common dilemma for property owners responsible for keeping sidewalks safe.
Before pouring a new slab, the contractor cut back the offending roots to allow a new slab to lie flat. Perhaps just enough of the roots were cut that had held the tree upright in a little wind?
Needless to say, now there is a much bigger problem to resolve: insurance claims for the cars, street and sidewalk repairs as well as planting a new tree, in a larger tree pit. At least the buildings on either side of the street did not appear to have been hit by any branches, a lucky break.
