Thousands Of Trees Dying Post-Sandy, And Parks Dept Searches For Answers

We’ve mentioned it before, but now the rest of the city appears to be paying attention: thousands of trees in Superstorm Sandy damaged areas like Manhattan Beach and Sea Gate are dying or dead and Parks Department officials aren’t exactly sure why. The New York Daily News is reporting that the Parks Department has sent experts to all five boroughs to investigate the matter, which is quickly becoming an ecological disaster.

As summer heats up and trees fail to bloom, residents have been left with falling bark, limbs and eyesores dotting lining their streets. The Parks Department’s director of street tree planting, Matthew Stephens, told the Daily News that Sandy is to blame but the exact reasons aren’t yet clear.

“Trees can’t absorb nutrients like they usually do,” Stephens said.

Stephens and his team are currently cataloging how many trees are healthy, dead or dying so the city can begin a process of replacing the dead ones.

Carl Cahill, owner of Evergreen Tree Experts, has been working overtime in removing dead wood from Brooklyn streets. Cahill offered his own theory as to why all the trees are dying.

“Once the heat hit, the salt water (from the flood) dried out the roots. The bark is literally falling off the tree,” Cahill told the Daily News.

Homeowners are paying people like Cahill up to four figures to remove dead trees from their property.

Sheepshead Bites reader Yelena Linetskaya sent us the following photos of many dead and dying trees lining the streets of Manhattan Beach.