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I think whomever trims it has to have some sort of license.  You cannot trim it yourself, I believe you can get a fine.  I would call 311.  They city may come trim it if it may cause some sort of damage.    

3:10 PM 06/28/2012 | 0 Votes

The city only does major pruning it on a pre-defined rotation, except in the case of an emergency (e.g., tornado).  You can pay and do it yourself, but you need a permit and a licensed arborist.  http://www.nycgovparks.org/pag...
Most tree companies with any standards will actually refuse to touch anything significant on a street tree without a permit, as there is liability and because many of them make a decent amount of money subcontracting with the city and don't want to mess that up.  (Minor pruning of low branches can be done by Citizen Pruners, who are also licensed by the city.) 

3:23 PM 06/28/2012 | 0 Votes

You can find many of the official answers from parks dept here http://www.nycgovparks.org/ser...
What if my tree needs routine rather than emergency pruning?

Parks & Recreation conducts routine pruning every year on a portion of city trees in each community board in order to keep our mature trees healthy. If you think a tree is in need of maintenance pruning, you can wait for the regular cycle or you can contact 311 to request an inspection by a forester who can assess the pruning needs of the tree. The forester will then decide if the tree needs pruning more immediately or if the next pruning cycle will correct the issues.
If you would like the tree pruned before that, you can apply for a Tree Work Permit http://www.nycgovparks.org/ima... alt="Adobe PDF file" width="16" height="16" /> (PDF, 175 kB) for an ISA-certified arborist to perform work on the tree

Off the record... I pruned some branches on the street in front of my house away from my roof & gutters.

3:29 PM 06/28/2012 | 0 Votes

Attention all Brownstoners: For minor tree-pruning needs, try contacting TreesNY. They run the Citizen Pruner program and may be able to refer you to trained Citizen Pruner volunteers. Citizen Pruners must have both feet on the ground at all times. If a telescoping pruner (10-15 feet) will not reach the branches in question, then a licensed arborist may be hired. Do NOT prune the trees yourself.  It is illegal, carries heavy penalties and is often done very poorly, eventually killing the tree.

8:30 PM 06/28/2012 | 0 Votes

good grief, charlie brown

10:00 PM 06/28/2012 | 1 Votes

You can send a request to the Parks department using  http://www.nycgovparks.org/ser.... However based even on your description it doesn't sound dangerous. Maybe a nuisance at worst. Given that the Parks department doesn't even have enough people to monitor potentially dangerous trees in public parks, I think it would be frivolous to call them if it isn't in fact a hazard. 

11:00 PM 06/28/2012 | 0 Votes

Call Citizen Pruners as described above. My neighbor lopped a couple of branches off our shared street tree a few years ago and the tree is really unbalanced now. Do the tree, and yourself, a favor and have someone licensed do the work.

11:41 PM 06/28/2012 | 0 Votes

If the tree is planted in front of your lot, and you can reach the branches safety, then just trim it yourself. No one will care. As the property owner, you are responsible for upkeep all around your lot, even if you don't technically own it - like with sidewalks, and garbage in the gutter along your lot, and yes, trees.  There is absolutely no obligation to get a permit to trim a wayward tree growing over your roof. But, is anyone official going to tell you that? Probably not.

9:33 AM 06/29/2012 | 0 Votes

 
Pig Three,
Fear? Secrets?? My, what an active imagination you have!
Street trees are expensive for the city to purchase, plant, and maintain. Step by step internet guides do not replace the hands-on and classroom training (guided by experienced professionals) that Citizen Pruners receive. Many well-intentioned residents harm trees by pruning them badly, wrapping/nailing things to their trunks, creating volcano mulch piles, topping them, building impermeable tree pit fortresses, etc etc etc. Take the CP class, find a Citizen Pruner, or hire an arborist.

6:06 PM 06/29/2012 | 0 Votes

Hahahahah,
take a class?  I climb, prune, and cut down my trees if necessary.  Myself.  same goes for everything else associated with building and maintaing a home.  I call it like I see it here on b'stoner.  a bunch of fear mongers.  people need to be more self sufficient and stop reling on foolish advise from people who are afraid to do things.

9:27 PM 06/29/2012 | 0 Votes

Pig3 is a moron.
 

11:42 PM 06/29/2012 | 0 Votes

slimc,
 
You sound like you should live in Park Slope not Bed Stuy.  New to the nabe?

7:08 AM 06/30/2012 | 0 Votes

Pig three - I am glad that you are competent enough to prune without damaging our common resource, street trees.  Are you open to the possibility that perhaps other are not, and the danger of killing the tree or even hurt oneself is high enough that the city, through its elected and appointed officials, has made a policy decision to forbid such pruning.  Given that the city even offers a course to train enthusiasts such as yourself, your position seems a bit cranky.  

9:53 AM 06/30/2012 | 0 Votes

If I had an offending branch or two that I needed to have removed, and could do it fairly quickly I would probably take the risk.  That being said, people in New York get very touchy about tree pruning and seem to drop a dime pretty quickly when it comes to people working on trees.  I wouldn't do it if I didn't think I could complete the job, including clean up in less than half an hour.  Tree pruning, like most things is pretty straight forward if you know what you're doing.  If on the other hand, you don't know what you're doing, while you probably won't kill the tree out right, you very easily can end up damaging the tree to the point that you significantly shorten it's life. 

8:37 PM 06/30/2012 | 0 Votes

I suspect the purpose of the law is to preserve the streetscape -- after all, the same rules that allow an experienced, knowledgeable you to go out and prune the tree outside your house would also happily permit your hamfisted, knuckleheaded neighbor to go out and completely butcher the tree outside his house.  That's no recipe for a handsome street, so one small piece of regulation that's inconvenient on 1 day out of 2000 helps keep your view pleasant on the other 1999 days.
 

11:31 AM 07/03/2012 | 2 Votes