Babylon taking inventory of troubled town trees

With its leaves fanning out overhead in bright hues of red, orange and yellow, the towering maple tree seemed an innocuous production of nature.

But Brian Zitani wasn't fooled. One look at the ground and he knew the tree was causing trouble: the roots were bursting through the sidewalk, raising the asphalt until it split open and weeds sprouted through the fissure.

Zitani, who is Babylon's waterways management supervisor, discovered the East Farmingdale tree recently while working on the town's tree inventory project. In 2008, Babylon received a $20,000 Urban Forestry Grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to do a complete inventory of all town trees, noting the location, type and possible age into a GPS unit.

The trees being targeted are those on street easements, within 5 to 7 feet of the pavement, Zitani said. Workers record the species and measure the circumference of the trunk, a number that later can be used to help determine the age of the tree, he said. Workers also note the condition of the tree and where it's growing. A tree such as the East Farmingdale maple - as well as dead trees - would be marked for removal, he said.

So far, the town has inventoried Deer Park, Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights and is now doing East Farmingdale, heading next to North Amityville. More than 9,300 trees have been recorded so far, said Lauren Puccia, bay management specialist for the town.

A full tree inventory is required for many planting grants now, Zitani said, and the information will also help the town get faster assistance from FEMA after a hurricane or harsh storm damage.

The data will also help the town assess tree health and battle diseases, such as oak wilt, and bug infestations, such as the emerald ash borer, Zitani said. The Asian long-horned beetle infestation first noticed on Long Island more than a decade ago decimated Babylon's trees and more than 10,000 have had to be removed, he said. This was because the town's trees are overwhelmingly maples, which are susceptible to the beetle. Zitani said no one type of tree should make up more than 10 percent of an area's tree population.

Knowing what trees the town already has will help with its replanting program, in which the town will replace any tree it has to dig up. "We can start to be proactive before they destroy our infrastructure and do tens of thousands of dollars in damage," Zitani said. "And when we do tree replacements . . . at the very least we can make some intelligent decisions." This might mean planting fruit trees, which do not grow very tall, in an area where power lines are a concern.

Puccia said residents are often confused when they see workers out analyzing the trees. "They ask if we're cutting it down or if we can look at the trees in their yard," she said. "Sometimes they ask us to rake the leaves in their yard."