One of the results of Sandy was the enormous destruction of trees throughout the city.
It was estimated that nearly 15,000 trees were uprooted or severely damaged by the storm. The continued planting of new trees under Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s “One Million Trees Program” must immediately stop.
What the Department of Parks and its Forestry Division need to be doing is conducting inspections of every single tree in every single city park, playground, and along the streets in every single borough.
Many trees that are still standing may have been significantly weakened by Sandy, and could fall in future storms and injure or kill somebody. Inspect the trees, and those that are found to be weakened must immediately be removed. Also, there must be regular maintenance of the trees throughout the entire city with pruning done on a regular basis by the Department of Parks and its Division of Forestry.
How many more people like Tony Laino need to tragically die before necessary action is taken? His death could have been prevented, had the city removed that tree in front of his residence after all of the complaints that had been made to the Parks Department by his family and neighbors.
Plant not one more, until every tree in this city is inspected.
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
