Residents Decry Loss Of Century-Old Oak On LIRR Embankment

If a tree falls in your neighborhood, do the residents make a sound? How about if that tree is chopped down by the Long Island Railroad?

Locals in Forest Hills Gardens are making quite a bit of noise this week, after the transit authority quickly — and as quietly as they could — took to the train tracks near Continental Avenue and Austin Street in Forest Hills and chopped down a 100-year-old oak tree with almost no notice.

The resulting work left a hole in Forest Hills Gardens otherwise verdant skyline, and in the hearts of many residents, still reeling from the loss of hundreds of trees in last year’s

“They showed up at 7:30 in the morning [Saturday] to start cutting the tree down,” said Gardens resident Russ Gundlach in an e-mail. “They had MTA police accompanying them to keep everyone away. Several shareholders along with myself remained in front of our building to document the work and make sure they did not cut more trees or damage trees on Gardens property in the process.”

Gundlach said that no one in the community had been notified of the cutting, and that some residents awoke to found their cars surrounded by traffic cones.

Sal Arena, a spokesman for the LIRR, said the tree was cut down as a safety measure.

“It was one tree that was cut down as a precautionary measure,” Arena said. “Safety or the right of way is always the priority. If it came down in a storm, it was going to come down on the tracks.”

Arena said that the LIRR is within its rights to cut down trees on LIRR property when track officials believe they pose a concern.

The most recent tree-cutting represents a renewal of an old issue for residents. For four years, Gardens residents have tried to keep the transit giant from cutting down trees along the tracks, saying they provide a crucial barrier between loud, frequent train traffic in the otherwise tranquil Forest Hills Gardens.

In years past, the LIRR has been brought to the table by local representatives, including U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who announced his resignation last week.

Now, residents said, they’re trying to enlist the help of Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz and Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, among others.

Gundlach said he and other members of the community have been passing out information to residents, urging them to lodge compaints with Community Board 6 about the LIRR’s practices on the train line that bisects Forest Hills.

“The loss of the trees, beyond the immediate impact of visual devastation, had a noticeable effect on the sound levels in our apartments and left many residents on lower floors having to invest in something a little more opaque than sheer curtains to prevent passing entertainment to the passengers staring out the windows when the trains pulled into the station,” Gundlach added.

Arena said there are no plans for the MTA to plant any new greenery in the area to replace trees that have been removed.