Century-Old Trees Cut Down in Forest Hills, NY

NEW YORK—A century-old oak tree was cut down two weeks ago along the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) track in Forest Hill Gardens, Queens. Next week, LIRR representatives will walk along the track with a local arborist acting as community representative, to explain how they plan to further clear the tracks.

For over a century, the quaint neighborhood has enjoyed the natural growth along the track. It has provided the community with a noise barrier against the rush of trains.

The old trees added to the aesthetic value, says Anna Guasto, whose apartment on Burns Street looks right onto the tracks. They provided a barrier that prevented snow from running down off the raised track onto the residential street below.

Unfortunately, the trees also presented a safety hazard to the rail line.

“If that tree ever came down it had the potential to block both the eastbound and westbound tracks,” said MTA spokesperson, Salvatore Arena, of the old oak that was cut on June 18. The tree was hit by lightening a few times and LIRR did not want to wait and see if it could withstand another strike.

Community leader Michael Perlman contests that possibility.

“If you examine the stump up close, it is leaning not toward the tracks, but toward the sidewalk area,” said Perlman, chair of the Rego-Forest Preservation Council, a community group dedicated to preserving the heritage of Rego Park and Forest Hills. He says if it were to fall, it would not have fallen on the tracks at all.

However, a photo provided by the MTA shows a massive oak leaning slightly toward the tracks.

Perlman also remains unconvinced that several trees cut in the area in 2007 posed a threat.

The trees used to be pruned annually, something Arena explains was simply too costly. The area was identified as a high-risk area and cutting began.

Perlman says if the trees were going to come down through the forces of nature, they would have done so already. They withstood the tornado-like macroburst that ripped up hundreds of trees in Forest Hills last September. The towering arbors also withstood Hurricane Donna 50 years ago, he noted.

It is not only the chance of falling trees that poses a hazard, but also the leaves that get on the tracks and interfere with traction, causing the train to slip and slide when braking or accelerating.

Local resident, Russ Gundlach, says that LIRR representatives held out an offer of planting evergreen trees to replace the ones they cut—an offer they “back-pedaled” on.

LIRR maintains in their official statement, “Although the LIRR does not have the funds to landscape the right of way, we would consider appropriate replacement plantings if local elected officials, civic groups, or residents can fund such a project.”

Cut Down

In 2007, Gundlach and Guasto felt deceived by LIRR. They were informed that a crew would come in to trim the trees, but in the process entire trees were cut down.

When “Look Great Services” came in to cut down the oak on June 18, the community was given two days notice. Perlman attributes the timing to Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D-N.Y.) recent resignation. Weiner had gone to bat for concerned residents, and Perlman speculates LIRR was eager to act with their opponent out of the way.

Arena says the speedy decision was due to a temporary shutdown of the track for maintenance. The oak had been identified as a risk for a long time, but LIRR did not want to shut down the trains to complete the job. They took this window of opportunity when it came.

“Hopefully any further cutting will stop and hopefully we‘ll have a very transparent dialogue and we’ll be able to convince the LIRR [that] rather than eliminating trees, they should prune only a couple of branches. ... It’s heartbreaking seeing century-old trees coming down,” said Perlman.