Tina Tam, 65, is refusing to let the city plant a tree directly in front of her Bensonhurst home.
The Brooklyn grandmother told The Post outside her 32nd Street house last week that she and her neighbors are “nervous” about where the Parks Department has marked new tree beds, with at least seven slated for spots that would block their front doors. “For the Chinese residents who live here, this is not simply about the appearance of a tree. This is the entrance of our home. The place we and our families must pass through every single day. It can affect our sense of comfort and peace when entering and leaving our own home,” she said.
“We are nervous … This is our superstition.”
The saplings are part of Mayor Mamdani’s Urban Forest Plan, a citywide push to dramatically expand canopy coverage across all five boroughs. The administration announced Wednesday that 18,261 trees have been planted so far in fiscal year 2026, the most since 2016, in an effort to reduce heat and increase green space. City officials said the Bensonhurst plots were selected based on pedestrian accessibility, underground utilities and traffic infrastructure.
But for Tam and her neighbors, many of whom follow the ancient Chinese tradition of Feng Shui, the “a new tree will be planted in this location” stickers that appeared on sidewalks earlier this month carried a darker meaning. Feng Shui is the practice of arranging one’s home to welcome and maximize good energy and harmony, and any object directly in front of an entrance disrupts the Ming Tang, the welcoming space where energy flows.
Feng Shui master RD Chin warned that such placement carries symbolic weight. “As a resident, what do you see in front you? Your life is blocked. There’s that symbolism that something is blocking your way … If that’s in front of my front door, I would probably make a stink about it,” he said.
Neighbor Wendy Chen, 38, spoke through a translator about the careful choice she and her family made when purchasing their home. “When we bought the house, we observed there’s no tree, so we picked right away. It was perfect,” she said.
Asked what they would do if the city proceeds with the plantings, Chen and Tam both gave the same answer: “Move!”
“If something affects me, my fortune — of course!” Tam added.
Robert Luo, a Bensonhurst Feng Shui expert who is helping neighbors fight the plantings, warned that poorly placed trees could actively attract misfortune. “Residents could get a lot of bad luck, they could get an illness, they get into a car accident. The money God cannot come to the home. Things like that,” he explained.
The irony, according to Chin, is that trees themselves are not the enemy. “Planting the trees will enhance the chi energy of the neighborhood, because you’re creating mother nature to be part of our human existence. And that’s good. This is part of being in the natural environment,” he continued. Trees are conducive to positive “chi,” the energy in one’s life, but only when planted in appropriate locations.
Residents have turned to City Councilmember Susan Zhuang to intervene with the Parks Department, arguing that in some cases the solution could be a matter of moving the trees just inches. Zhuang issued a statement seeking middle ground. “Let me be clear: Bensonhurst loves trees and wants shade on hot summer days, cleaner air, and greener blocks for our kids and seniors, but with respect to Chinese Culture,” she said.
“I’m confident we can work together to plant every tree this neighborhood deserves while honoring the community that lives here.”
A Parks Department spokesperson responded that officials are in communication with Zhuang and aim to accommodate concerns without abandoning the project. “We are always ready to work with community leaders and members to accommodate concerns when planting, while ensuring we fulfill our mandate to expand the City’s urban tree canopy as required by Local Law 148 of 2023,” the department said.