Adult film star Ron Jeremy is fighting to save a tree his father planted outside their New York home the day he was born.
Jeremy took to Twitter on Saturday, saying that utility Con Edison was going cut down the tree that was planted in Queens in 1953. The tweet includes a 2018 photo of Jeremy hugging the tree outside the home on Bell Boulevard in Bayside.
Jeremy, who has been staying at a Hollywood hotel during the coronavirus pandemic, told the New York Daily News that a neighbor let him know the trunk was wrapped in yellow tape last week.
“I looked after that tree all my life. They tried to chop the tree down years ago but I wouldn’t let them,” Jeremy said. “I even belted myself to the tree.”
The tree is on city property, and the Parks Department can choose to remove it, according to Con Edison, who replied to Jeremy's tweet. It is up to the city to decide whether to remove the tree to avoid any potential damage it may cause to surrounding power lines.
Jeremy said he had considered traveling to New York to protest the tree’s removal but didn’t feel comfortable flying.
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“Let my little tree live,” Jeremy said. “He ain’t ready to go yet.”
In a statement to NBC New York, the NYC Parks Department said they "appreciate Mr. Jeremy's personal attachment to the tree in front of his childhood home. Our city's street trees are not just environment assets, they can also connect us to our roots, reminding us of the people and places we love."
However, the department also said their inspection earlier in the month found the Norway maple to be in "poor condition," with less than half of the canopy remaining, and despite the branches that remain not posing any safety threat, they are likely to fall.
Because some of those branches are close to power lines, Con-Edison will provide clearance prior to removing the tree, the Parks Department said.
