ROOTING OUT THE BROADWAY OAKS The 510 dead oak trees that line Broadway get a week’s reprieve, as Galveston’s oak-removal extravaganza continues: “State officials have said they want new trees planted along Broadway in the same spots as their predecessors to maintain the 100-year-old patterns of the plantings. But forestry experts warn that planting new trees in holes surrounded by webs of existing roots could choke them off and kill them. The city’s tree committee hopes to start planting trees along other roadways in November, but with all of the approvals and agreements needed for planting around Broadway, the historic boulevard could stay bare for another year, Cahill said.” [Galveston County Daily News; previously on Swamplot]
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I noticed that the Broadway oaks have not yet been removed!
It’s such a dreary Look for Galveston – like Halloween at High Noon.
I think it’s possible some of those trees will come back – still – watered to dilute the salt deposited by the storm surge, and fertilized minimally.
Paraphrasing Someone: ‘whoever enjoys sitting in the shade of an oak can thank the person who planted it 100 years before.’
I have heard that the ones that have fallen have “shattered like glass.” Unfortunately, I think watering them now (or even last year) is too little too late and there’s really no way to tell.
It is common sense, though. You don’t put new trees in old holes. Everyone knows that. I always thought it had more to do with soil nutrient depletion than existing roots, but that makes sense too.