Newkirk Plaza Block Left Bare After Last Tree Torn Down

FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN — A stories-high American Basswood tree that cast shade over the Newkirk Plaza bus stop was reduced to a sandy stump on Wednesday.

Parks Department workers were forced to chop down the last tree on the Foster Avenue block near East 16th Street because its trunk had divided and threatened the safety of people waiting at the B8 bus stop, a worker told Patch.

The city's NYC Street Tree Map shows the 37-inch wide tree provided Ditmas Park with $379.56 worth of environmental benefits every year.

Park officials estimate it intercepted about 5,000 gallons of storm water, removing 4 pounds of pollutants from the air and reducing Carbon dioxide by 8,637 every year.

It's the second and last tree on the block to face the chop: another American Basswood on the other side of the bus stop has been recently removed.