Feb 19, 2012; 4:15 PM ET
Omar Araujo cuts down a dead tree at Meyer in the morning fog Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, in Houston. Over 1,800 dead trees are being removed from the park due to the ongoing drought. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Texas Forest Service reports about 5.6 million shade trees in urban areas have died as a result of the devastating drought continuing to impact Texas.
As of Feb. 14, 2012, more than 50 percent of Texas was still rated to be suffering extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The 5.6 million shade trees are in addition to the 100-500 million trees the Forest Service reported to be at risk of death in December.
Texas Forest Service urban foresters conducted a survey during the month of January of the trees in the cities and towns throughout the state. The 5.6 million trees account for about 10 percent of the total amount of trees in the urban forest.
Trees in all of the cities in towns of Texas were included in the study, with the exception of the Trans Pecos region. Tree mortality in Trans Pecos was determined to be the result of a cold snap in the area during February 2011.
The shade trees are commonly found in residential neighborhoods, parks and along streets.
Due to their location in populated areas, the dead trees present a safety issue and will need to be removed. The estimated cost of removing the trees is $560 million.
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