Bloodless Coup

What Katrina Wrought - The Destruction of the Trees

I can't imagine New Orleans without its trees. It was so verdant, so lush, the green canopy was so deep ... but, sadly, no more.

Jean Fahr, executive director of the New Orleans nonprofit Parkway Partners Program, said some foresters project that the city lost 70 percent of its urban forest. “We’ve never seen such a loss in the history of the United States,’’ she said, noting that the southern Florida area struck by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 lost 45 percent of its tree canopy.