The Loraxxx: Can porn legend Ron Jeremy save a beloved tree in Bayside, Queens?

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Ron Jeremy is attempting to save a tree outside his childhood home in Bayside. Photo via Ron Jeremy/Twitter

Ron Jeremy is attempting to save a tree outside his childhood home in Bayside. Photo via Ron Jeremy/Twitter

By David Brand

UPDATE [May 18, 2020 at 2:32 p.m.] — This story has been updated to include quotes from an interview with Ron Jeremy.

Call him the Loraxxx, because legendary porn star Ron Jeremy speaks for the trees.

Or at least one Bayside maple. 

Jeremy, the stocky adult film actor-cum-reality TV star, is rallying fans to save a beloved tree outside his childhood home on Bell Boulevard before the city can chop it down. On Saturday, the 67-year-old Cardozo High School grad tweeted a call to action, along with a photo of himself standing with his back against the trunk, his trademark mullet brushing the bark. 

“I need your help. help me save my tree,” Jeremy tweeted. “this tree was planted by my dad the day I was born.”

Jeremy, who is riding out the pandemic in a Hollywood hotel, told the Eagle that the tree has played an important role in his life, anchoring him to his roots back in Bayside and representing the bond he has with his 102-year-old father.

“As time went by me and the tree became friendly,” he said, recalling some of the mischief that he and the tree got into over the years. “I’d climb up the branches and throw acorns at people. They tried to kill me.”

“Now I feel bad my tree is going to be dying alone,” he continued. “I can’t give the tree a final hug. I feel bad I can’t do anything. If it wasn’t for this [coronavirus] craziness I’d be on a plane yesterday.”

Jeremy, who studied education at Queens College, said he thinks the tree has reciprocated that love. “Trees have feelings too,” he said. 

When he was undergoing heart surgery in California, for example, a neighbor called to say she saw the tree “tilting west, to the West Coast,” he said.

Jeremy urged his Twitter followers to tell Con Edison to spare the tree, located at 61-24 Bell Blvd. But Con Edison said the decision rests with the New York City Parks Department — the utility would merely help city lumberjacks avoid power lines. Jeremy acknowledged the mistake in his conversation with the Eagle.

Parks said the city had inspected the tree and determined that the 23-inch-wide Norway maple was in poor condition. Most of the branches are bare and several are likely to fall, Parks determined.

“We appreciate Mr. Jeremy’s personal attachment to the tree in front of his childhood home,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Our city’s street trees are not just environmental assets, they can also connect us to our roots, reminding us of the people and places we love.”

By Sunday, he seemed to come to terms with the likely fate of his family tree and shifted to saving pieces of the old maple.

“I’m not sure, but if they have to tear down my tree they may do it tomorrow,” he tweeted. “Is there anyone that knows about seedlings or trimmings that could help me save and replant this tree?”

The next day, however, he said he was holding out hope that the tree could be rescued. 

“It’s facing its finest challenge, but I’ve got some great soldiers,” he told the Eagle. “It’s sad I can’t give the tree a hug and send it into the next lifetime.”