NEW ORLEANS —
Mayor Latoya Cantrell said the live oak tree that came crashing down onto South Carrollton Avenue Tuesday had been inspected recently.
The Mayor told reporters the tree was healthy. Cantrell blamed the fall on the recent drought and Monday's heavy rain.
However, Stosh Kozlowski, a tree expert with the Benton Tree Service said human error is to blame.
"They are living you do have to care for them, you do have to make sure water is given to them, you do have to thin the canopy and just simply forgetting about them does a disservice to the city," Kozlowski said about the 150-year-old oak.
He said live oaks are typically unbalanced trees that can support their own weight, but still need to be pruned. Kozlowski said the dry weather, Monday's heavy downpour and human error are to blame.
"There was road construction several years prior, sidewalk construction a lot of root systems were probably cut and it didn't leave much room to stabilize itself, it was a girdling effect," said Kozlowski.
At a press conference the Mayor said, "There have been three mature live oak incidents across the city in less than 24 hours."
According to the city, Park and Parkways went out to Newcomb Place on Tuesday to address a 23-foot mature oak tree in decline. The city also said on Monday, Park and Parkways were called out to S. Solomon Street to take down a healthy, 34-foot live oak tree.
The Mayor said, "The tree on South Carrollton... was a healthy live oak tree in the city of New Orleans and recently, recently visited by an arborist, inspected it was healthy."
Kozlowski says there's a few trees on South Carrollton alone that need attention, saying, "Some of them have been stressed, as you can see the density is lacking over here, some of them have dead wood that could fly off in a storm situation."
According to the city, the director of Park and Parkways will be available for an interview Thursday morning.
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