Ditmysteries: Tree Plaque on Dorchester

Anyone know how this plaque under a tree on Dorchester between East 16th and East 17th got there? It seems to be a bronze plaque set in stone, with the name of the tree and New York Newsday written on it.

Sometimes you’ll notice tree name tags affixed to trees in the city, but those are different. Those little green plastic tags were put in place starting around 1996, because the city figured if people were more familiar with the trees, they’d be less likely to cut them down. People were able to request tags, which came with instructions on how to affix them to a tree. It seems that program is over, unfortunately, but you’ll notice paper labels on most of trees the city plants now.

So this plaque doesn’t seem to have been any part of a city initiative. Anyone know how it got there?

If you’ve got a question about something in the neighborhood, contact us at ditmasparkcorner@gmail.com and we’ll try to solve your “Ditmystery.”