Replanting after Katrina.

Q: I live in southern Louisiana. In Hurricane Katrina we lost one large oak and three pines and then had to cut six small oaks and 16 pines that were damaged. Now, with all my trees gone I have a drainage problem in my backyard. In the six months since the trees were cut, we have had a lot of rain and my back yard has turned into a swamp. I would like to plant some trees but do not know which ones would do well in my area or which ones can help with my problem.

Bitta Webb

A: There are a number of tree species that should do well in a wet planting site. In addition to a variety of oaks, consider baldcypress, sweetbay magnolia (magnolia virginiana, not the grandiflora variety), nuttall or pin oaks, willow, and water tupelo or its variety called swamp tupelo. No tree would do well in the face of another Katrina, but on wet sites, trees develop root systems that are wide, but not necessarily very deep. Trees standing alone suffer the worst, while those with "neighbors" to lean on and share the load are able to withstand more wind.