Poor pruning, not storm, blamed for green massacre; Kolkata, India

Pruning blamed for green massacre - Kolkata - Cities - The Times of India: "KOLKATA: A day after cyclonic storm Aila uprooted trees like ninepins and left a trail of destruction, green experts said the imprint of the tragedy
that felled over 500 trees pointed more to the sly hand of man than the mighty punch of nature. Scientists, foresters and green activists have blamed the high green casualty on unscientific plantation, pruning and beautification drives.
'Given the force of the storm, some trees would obviously have fallen as winds tunnelled through city streets. But casualty figures would have been a lot lower had we taken a little care. One of the biggest reasons for such largescale uprooting is lopsided pruning that had left trees unbalanced,' said former forester Pranabesh Sanyal."