As Hurricane Sandy pounded our area Oct. 30, our trees, some of which stood for many decades, began to fall due to the high winds.
Trees crashed to the ground, taking power lines and poles with them. They also crashed down onto homes, streets and vehicles and unfortunately also fell on top of people, killing them.
We took it for granted that our trees would always be here. They always provided us with shade in the summer, beautiful leaf colors in the fall and oxygen by taking in carbon dioxide through their leaves.
Then in one day, thousands of them were laid low by a tropical maelstrom, many of them fighting to the end. It was heartbreaking to see the widespread destruction of our cathedrals of nature. It was arbor Armageddon.
Trees manage their affairs better than people and get into few scrapes with their leafy neighbors around them. If new trees are to be planted, they should only be planted in our parks, not our streets. The city Parks Department needs to maintain those remaining street trees and also those trees in all of our parks much better than they have in the past.
If there are trees that are weak, dead or dying, they must be removed. Those that are healthy must be pruned on a regular basis to keep them healthy.
Perhaps if the Parks Department had done so prior to the hurricane, a young man from Flushing and a young couple from Brooklyn would still be alive today. The mayor must not cut anymore funding for the forestry division, which is responsible for maintaining the city’s trees.
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
