Locals abuzz over tree removal

Eron Ben-Yehuda

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- A city program to replace fully grown trees this

month has left some residents feeling uprooted.

Old majestic trees covering 19 streets throughout the city are being cut

down in favor of much smaller, young ones.

After the city targeted Craimer Lane last week, resident Jim Burgeson

sounded angrier than the buzz saw that chopped up two trees by his house.

“Evidently, they have no respect for the natural beauty that is there,”

he said.

His neighbor, Marjean Brandt, was also dismayed by what she considered

senseless destruction.

“They could have been a little less indiscriminate when they cut them

down,” she said.

What makes this “lunacy” even worse, Burgeson said, is that city

officials never asked him or others who live nearby whether to keep the

old trees.

“They have taken the attitude of a dictator,” he said.

But, the city did ask residents in the targeted areas to sign petitions

approving the tree replacement, said Don Noble, the city’s maintenance

operation manager. Only streets where 75% of the neighbors gave approval

are included in the program.

However in some cases, such as Craimer Lane, approval was given as far

back as five years ago, Noble said. A lack of funding held up the project

until now.

Many of the residents who signed the petition have since left, said

Burgeson, who moved in three years ago.

Replacing the old trees makes sense because of the damage their roots

cause to streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, Noble said.

Cracked sidewalks are dangerous, especially to the elderly who might hurt

themselves by tripping and falling, he said. Roots also have pushed up

gutters, allowing water to pool, which attracts algae and mosquitoes.

“Health and safety of the residents is the No. 1 concern,” Noble said.

The new trees will not create the same problems because they have

different types of roots, which will be blocked off with plastic that

forces the roots down instead of allowing them to crawl around the nearby

infrastructure, Noble said. Varieties such as pine, olive and eucalyptus

are being replaced by plum and palm trees, among others, said Daryl

Smith, the city’s superintendent of parks, trees and landscaping. The new

ones could take 15 years to grow to the size of the ones they are

replacing, he said.

The program began this month and is expected to be completed by June,

said Eric Charlonne, the project’s administrator. Of the 19 streets

included in the program, 12 still have trees that need to be replaced, he

said.

Mayor Dave Garofalo said city staff should review the petitions of

streets that have not yet had work done to ensure the lists are up to

date.

Not all residents are opposed to the new trees.

Steve Katz, who helped organize the petition on Craimer Lane five years

ago, appreciates the effort of city officials.

“For the greater good of the community, I think they made the right

decision,” he said.