But tree that hit ma & kids rated OK in Nov.

THE MASSIVE Central Park elm tree that fell on a Manhattan mom and her three small boys had decayed roots, parks officials said Wednesday.

An inspection by the Central Park Conservancy determined the tree fell over “as a result of decay in the root system beneath the surrounding pavement,” conservancy spokeswoman Jordan Jacuzzi said.

The hardwood off West Drive near 62nd St. fell over about 10 a.m. Tuesday — right on top of Anne Goldman as she walked with her 41-day-old son strapped to her chest and her other two boys, ages 3 and 4, in a double stroller.

Goldman was in critical condition with a broken neck at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center on Wednesday, police sources said.

Her 3-year-old boy Grant also suffered a fractured skull, but is expected to survive.

Her other two children — her infant James and 4-year-old son Will, suffered scratches and bruises but were otherwise unharmed.

Good Samaritans raced to the tree as soon as it fell and grabbed little Grant, who was later cradled by a cop as first responders cut the tree away from Goldman with chainsaws, witnesses said.

Goldman is senior director of editorial and social media at Tory Burch, a women’s clothing and accessories company.

Her husband Curt had proposed to his bride-to-be in the park before their September 2012 wedding. Attempts to reach Goldman’s family were unsuccessful Wednesday.

“The recovery of Anne Monoky Goldman and her children is of utmost concern to the Central Park Conservancy,” Jacuzzi said.

The root decay must have set in within the last eight months, Jacuzzi said.

The Central Park Conservancy, which cares for the trees in the urban oasis, inspected that tree in November.

“There were no visible signs of decay or disease,” Jacuzzi said. “The conservancy employs tree crews seven days a week who regularly inspect and maintain Central Park’s nearly 20,000 trees according to industry standards.”

“The safety of all 42 million annual visitors is our No. 1 priority in the management of Central Park in partnership with NYC Parks,” she said.

Injuries by falling trees or tree limbs are fairly infrequent, according to internal Parks Department documents. Between 2011 and 2015, 31 people were injured by falling trees or branches, data from a Freedom of Information Law request shows.

The last fatality occurred in October 2015, after a 4,000-pound Brooklyn tree that had been damaged by Hurricane Sandy crushed restaurant deliveryman Jing Liu as he rode his bicycle in Red Hook.

Critics point out that the city’s numbers do not jibe with lawsuits filed by victims who say they have been injured by falling trees or tree branches.

There are typically more than 100 notices of claim related to injuries from fallen trees or tree limbs each year, according to the city controller’s office.

“The Parks Department number does not seem to correlate with reality, and that’s very disturbing,” said Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates. “The city is doing a terrible job of not only tracking this critical information, but releasing it to the public.”