B757 ACFT HITS A TALL THIN TREE WHEN TAXIING INTO THE RAMP ON TXWY L AT SJU ARPT. CREW RPTS THAT 2 FT OF THIS TREE; ON THE N SIDE OF TXWY L; WAS CLIPPED OFF AND WAS STUCK IN THE R WINGTIP OF THE ACFT. THIS ONE TREE HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO INFRINGE UPON THE TXWY CLRNC.

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AFTER LNDG ON RWY 8 IN SJU AND AS WE WERE CLRING ONTO TXWY V; GND CTL INSTRUCTIONS WERE STRAIGHT AHEAD ON TXWY V; R TURN ON TXWY L TO THE RAMP. AS THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL CLRNC AND AS THE CTLR'S DELIVERY WAS FAST AND SLIGHTLY ACCENTED WE DID NOT QUITE UNDERSTAND HIS INTENTIONS AND STARTED USING THE NORMAL RTE TO THE RAMP WHICH IS TXWY S. AS WE WERE STARTING THE R TURN ONTO TXWY S THE CTLR SAID; 'NO; NO; STRAIGHT AHEAD.' WE THEN CORRECTED BACK ONTO TXWY V AND COMPLIED WITH THE CTLR'S INITIAL INSTRUCTIONS. WHEN WE REACHED TXWY N AT THE END OF TXWY L GND CTL ADVISED THAT WE HAD A BRANCH STUCK IN OUR R WINGTIP; THIS PROVED TO BE TRUE. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE SITE ON TXWY L BORDERED ON THE S BY A ROW OF HANGARS AND TO THE N BY A ROW OF TREES; REVEALED THAT A TALL SLENDER TREE HAD HAD ITS UPPER 2 FT TORN OFF. THE TREE IN QUESTION HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO GROW TALLER AND TO LEAN FARTHER OUT TOWARD THE TXWY THAN ALL THE OTHER TREES ALONG TXWY L. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 366196: WE HAD JUST STARTED A R TURN ONTO TXWY S; BUT GND ADVISED US AGAIN; TO CROSS TXWY S AND TAXI IN ON TXWY L. THERE WAS AN INBOUND ACFT HOLDING ON TXWY S SHORT OF TXWY N.