Sandy-felled trees are scalped; Chop-chop on Peninsula in W’mere

Nassau County is cutting down and removing approximately 75 trees along Peninsula Boulevard in Woodmere that died as a result of saltwater intrusion from Hurricane Sandy flooding.

The catastrophic damage from Sandy, which struck on Oct. 29, 2012, continues to impact the Five Towns. “After the hurricane, it was a question of just how long they’d live,” said Howard Carter, a Woodmere resident who lives on Peninsula.

“A county arborist assessed the trees and determined they were damaged by storm water,” said Nassau Department of Public Works spokesman Michael Martino. “They could cause serious harm to pedestrians and motorists once they rot.”

Gary Caparelli, a Lawrence resident who created his own water recycling system on his property, watched as trees were removed.

“Salt can crystallize around roots and prevent the natural osmosis, or absorption of water, through the roots,” he said.

According to George Hudler, professor of plant pathology at Cornell University, when salt in the soil dissolves, it separates into sodium and chloride ions, which damage the trees. 

“In early spring, the chloride ions can be taken up by the roots, enter the sap, concentrate in the shoots and prevent buds from opening,” explained Hudler, who conducts outreach and research programs focusing on tree pathology and produces a biweekly pest management newsletter, Branching Out. “Later, they can be transported to actively growing leaf margins, causing leaf scorch, curling or death. Sodium ions travel the same ‘chemical route’ as necessary tree nutrients. Those ions tie up the plant’s shuttle system and restrict uptake of magnesium and potassium, two chemicals that are essential for making chlorophyll.”