Garden Loses 50 Trees in Storm; Cleanup Continues

Posted in Gardens and Collections on March 24 2010, by Plant Talk

Some 100-Year-Old Specimens Destroyed; 150 Others Damaged

Todd Forrest is Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections.

While gardeners are accustomed to coping with the slings and arrows of outrageous weather, this winter has tested the patience of even the most experienced horticulturists among the Garden’s staff. Two wet, heavy snowstorms in February caused significant damage to the Garden’s historic trees, but nothing prepared us for the damage of the nor’easter that hit New York the weekend of March 13 and 14.

The deep snow that fell only two weeks before had not even completely melted when the torrential rains started late in the week of March 8. The combination of snowmelt and rain completely saturated the ground, creating the perfect conditions for what foresters call “wind throw”—trees, roots and all, torn out of the ground by fierce winds. With winds holding steady at between 30 and 40 mph and gusting to over 70 mph, many of the Garden’s historic trees had no chance.

By Sunday, March 14, 50 of our trees, including many historic conifers planted in the early 1900s and oaks older than the Garden itself, were lying across the ground. More than 150 other trees lost limbs or were otherwise damaged. Nearly every small tree planted in fall 2009 was uprooted. While our arborists will be assessing the full extent of the devastation for weeks to come, we are already mourning the loss of some of our favorite trees, including a Ponderosa pine planted in the Ross Conifer Arboretum in 1904 and a blue Atlas cedar planted in the Benenson Ornamental Conifers in 1966.

The Garden is fortunate to have a team of skilled and dedicated arborists and gardeners who began the cleanup in the middle of the storm on Saturday, March 13. Many left homes without power and gardens with significant tree damage and made their way through the storm to make sure the Garden was safe for staff and visitors. They will continue the cleanup over the coming weeks, receiving help from contractors where necessary, with the goal of making our Garden as beautiful as possible for a spring that is as anticipated as any in my 12 years here at the Garden.

Over the past week, many people have reached out to the Garden and offered their support. Everyone in the Horticulture division is thankful for this outpouring of affection for our historic trees and landscape. We have all been reminded to take a second to celebrate the thousands of irreplaceable trees that remain in the Garden. We are also looking forward to finishing the cleanup and getting back to what makes us happiest in spring: the planting of hundreds of new trees that will grow into the stately specimens that will inspire future generations to fall in love with our Garden.