"Eco-disaster" awaits Galveston residents in wake of Hurricane Ike - up to 80% of canopy scheduled for removal; Galveston, TX

Thousands of dead Galveston trees need to be removed | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
By ALLAN TURNER HOUSTON CHRONICLE
June 9, 2009, 10:13PM
GALVESTON — With saws likely to start buzzing soon, Texas forestry officials this week hope to launch a triage program to determine how many of the 11,000 Hurricane Ike-damaged trees on city property can be salvaged.
The process will involve a tree-by-tree examination, the Texas Forest Service’s Pete Smith said. Candidates for cutting will include most tree varieties that have lost 50 percent or more of their canopy. Live oaks with at least 30 percent of their leaves may be spared. The live oaks, Smith said, are “either recovering or dying,” and more time is needed to determine which is the case.
Officials hope to remove doomed trees by the middle of September, thereby qualifying for federal payments that could cover up to 75 percent of the city’s removal cost.