Maintenance workers last week accidentally buried the trunks of two juniper trees in concrete in a private yard in Brooklyn Heights — and one already appears to be dying. But the mob-like hit on the trees was all a miscommunication, and the trees will be saved.
“The maintenance guys were not supposed to bury the trees. I think they didn’t understand [the job],” explained a woman who said she was a property manager for the building — known as Brooklyn Heights Executive Suites — at 222 Hicks St. near Remsen Street.
“We will take care of it this week,” said the woman, who identified herself as Navina. “There’s concrete there, and we’re going to remove it.”
Originally, maintenance crews were told to pour new concrete on the small lot, but the workers also covered the 8-foot trees’ roots. The lot had some low-lying vegetation that the concrete has replaced.
Misunderstanding or not, the community was far less forgiving.
“This falls into the ‘shame on you’ category of things in the Heights that rouse residents, because we’re such a tree-loving neighborhood,” said Brooklyn Heights Association Executive Director Judy Stanton — who this week also called on the city to turn off the tree-killing NYC Waterfalls art installation a few blocks away.
Stanton said she called the management company two weeks ago, and they promised then to remove the cement — but nothing’s been done yet.
“I’m appalled — I think it’s awful,” she said. “One tree was already dying before I called them, and that was two weeks ago.”
The trees sit in a fenced-in area along the Remsen Street sidewalk. The building, managed by Yuco Management, rents executive apartments for business travelers on a monthly basis.
According to the Parks Department, trees located within 15 feet of a curb — even if they are on private property — are considered public trees, and cannot be taken down without a permit.
“We are concerned about the health of these trees from the concrete and will be sending a forestry crew to inspect them,” said Parks spokesman Phil Abramson.
