Beijing Daily, the city’s official newspaper, said on Monday that rising groundwater levels might be to blame. An official at the Chaoyang district water bureau – the body responsible for planting and maintaining the saplings in the park – said it was likely caused by rising groundwater levels. “When the groundwater table rises, it can have an impact on tree growth and the trees do not grow well,” the water bureau official said. The official added that the bureau was still assessing the number of dead trees and deciding how to address the issue. For trees showing signs they might survive, the bureau was stepping up maintenance measures, including the use of growth-promoting treatments and drainage.