Millions of Texas Shade Trees Succumb to Drought

In Texas, 5.6 million shade trees in urban areas have died as a result of the drought, according to the Texas Forest Service. This accounts for about 10 percent of the total amount of trees in the urban forest.

Shade trees are commonly found in residential neighborhoods, parks and along streets.

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Due to their location in populated areas, the dead trees present a safety issue and will need to be removed. The cost of removing the trees is estimated at $560 million.

This is in addition to the 100 to 500 million trees throughout Texas reported to be at risk of death due to the drought.