A tree collapsed on parked cars on Ridgewood’s Palmetto Street earlier in August.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Council Member Phil Wong is calling on the City Council to provide more staffing and resources for NYC Parks Forestry services amid a reported uptick in complaints over dead trees and dangerous limbs in the 30th Council District.
Wong said tree issues are among the most common complaints that his office receives, pointing to the recent collapse of a massive tree on Palmetto Street in Ridgewood on Aug. 4 that residents had reported on multiple occasions across several years.
Between Jan. 1 and June 30 of 2026, Wong said, NYC Parks has completed 572 forestry work orders in the 30th Council District, including tree removals, 116 downed-limb responses, 68 hanging-limb responses and 44 pruning jobs.
A collapsed tree near the intersection of 77th Place and Juniper Boulevard. Photo courtesy of Council Member Phil Wong
He credited NYC Parks for its work in the district but said the demand “is clearly much greater” than what the agency can currently manage.
“Every time bad weather comes through, residents are holding their breath wondering whether the tree they reported months, or sometimes years, ago is going to come down on their home, car or family,” Wong said in a statement. “I’m going to keep pushing for the funding, staffing and equipment Parks Forestry needs to inspect, prune, remove and replace trees faster.”
Wong said the example of the Ridgewood tree is “one of many examples” of local residents frequently raising concerns about potentially dangerous trees before “something happens.”
The Ridgewood tree collapsed onto several parked cars near the intersection of 64th Street and Palmetto Street following heavy storms at the beginning of August.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
He said his office also regularly hears from homeowners who want new tree planted in front of their home. However, he said homeowners are often left to wait years before a tree is planted near their home.
“We have residents begging the City to plant trees and others begging the City to address dangerous ones,” Wong said. “Both sides of the system need more resources so people are not waiting years for basic forestry work.”
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud