Towering Bed Stuy Pine Oak Faces Chopper

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — Throop Avenue will not be protected by the shade of a towering pine oak this summer as park officials have decided to tear the tree down.

The three-story tall quercus palustris that stands on the northwest corner of Throop Avenue and Macon Street will be chopped down after Parks Department officials found the oak was suffering from decay, a spokeswoman confirmed.

"We do not take tree removals lightly, especially in the case of this notable pin oak," the spokeswoman said. "Sadly, this tree is decayed, and after extensive testing, we have deemed its removal necessary for public safety."

The tree was determined to be a safety hazard after Parks foresters found decay using drills and sonic tomography testing to examine it, officials said.

When the tree is torn down, Department of Transportation workers will fix the water pooling problem and make the sidewalk wheelchair accessible, officials said.

Rachel Selekman, a local who has often enjoyed the shade of the pine oak tree while walking Bed-Stuy with her husband, mourned the loss.

"We’ve marveled at, and climbed over, its massive base and root structure, no match for the concrete sidewalk around it," Selekman told Patch.

"It’s a sad day to see it get dismantled piece by piece."

The Parks Department's tree database shows the pine oak had a 44-inch diameter, which means it could be about 90 years old, and provided an ecological benefit to the neighborhood worth about $643 a year.

Every year, the pine oak reduced carbon dioxide levels by about 25,430 pounds, removed about 7 pounds of Air pollutants and intercepted about 8,892 gallons of stormwater, according to Parks Department calculations.

Selekman regrets she didn't take her own measurements, she told Patch.

"It’s a tree that is so grand that it would likely take three people with outstretched arms to hug it fully around," she said. "I wish we had tried to know for sure."