On Wednesday morning, the city's parks director estimates more than 9,300 trees in city parks have died because of the drought. That's up from last week's estimate of just a couple thousand.
Crews have been out clearing dead trees in parks, such as Memorial Park, to cut down on the risk of a wildfire. That same risk has prompted Mayor Annise Parker to ban all open flames, including barbecues and cigarettes, in city parks.
