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By Will Bredderman
Brooklyn Daily
It may be spring on the Sandy-swamped Coney Island peninsula, but residents say the season hasn’t fully sprung — and possibly never will.
Brighton Beach and Seagate residents say their neighborhoods aren’t looking too green six months after last year’s hurricane. And they think seasickness may be to blame.
Brighton Beach activist Ida Sanoff noted that many trees along the iconic Boardwalk turned brown after getting hit with the superstorm’s saltwater surge — as did the manicured grounds of buildings near the shore and large patches of grass along Ocean Parkway.
“It’s hit and miss all over the place,” said Sanoff. “A lot of landscaping and a lot of trees just got destroyed.”
Sanoff noted that the city has already begun tearing out dead scrub pines. She suggested that the Parks Department replace them with sea-hardy breeds.
“A lot of these fancy plants they have put in are very, very pretty, but they aren’t native to beach areas,” Sanoff said. “Parks might want to consider going with species that grow in salt marshes.”
Elena Barinova, a secretary at the Seagate Association — the group that manages the private, gated community at the tip of the peninsula — estimated that as many as half of the trees in the Sandy-shattered enclave appear to be dead.
“Some trees are blooming and blossoming, but a lot were lost because of Hurricane Sandy,” Barinova said, noting that it was mainly evergreen trees that died. “It’s altered the streetscape.”
Parks Department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor said that the agency will be monitoring the plant life in the area to determine the extent of the damage. But the department has already been treating affected greenery with compost and gypsum to abate the impact of salt.
“We have been and will continue to remediate soil, as necessary, to encourage the return of healthy biological functioning,” said Lalor.
She urged residents to water street trees that appear to be struggling to desalinate the soil, and to report dying trees to 311. But the city spokeswoman said her department was not responsible for Seagate’s vegetation. Barinova said she knew of no plans to replace or desalinate trees in the community.
The surge also claimed some of the most beloved vegetation in the area — the sod the Brooklyn Cyclones play on at MCU Park in Coney Island. Team spokesman Jason Solomon said the salt water killed the natural grass in the stadium, leading the ball club to replace it with artificial FieldTurf.
“Heaven forbid we get hit with another Sandy,” Solomon said. “The FieldTurf would hold up better.”
Reach reporter Will Bredderman at wbredderman@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4507. Follow him attwitter.com/WillBredderman.