Pine trees replanted in Central Park

Who cares about trees? Apparently, a great number of Huntington Beach residents do, especially when those trees are in Central Park.

All 34 young pine trees torn apart by unknown vandals in March were replaced last week. Those involved say an outpouring of contributions from residents made the difference.

Roughly $5,000 in donations put the trees back in their places, said Jean Nagy, director of the Huntington Beach Tree Society. No city funds were required.

“We’ve received tons of donations,� she said. “They just came pouring in. I think the community deserves a pat on the back for all the caring. This is truly from the heart.�

Workers for West Coast Arborist — the statewide company that donated materials and company time to the effort — dug holes, hammered down posts and laid trees in place before covering their roots with dirt and binding their thin trunks straight with rubber. Work on the park took all of the day April 19.

The new trees were significantly smaller than the old ones. While the old trees had started to grow branches a few inches thick, some of their replacements were barely five feet tall and thinner than a grown man’s thumb.

City officials had estimated replacement costs to be $40,000, but those numbers had assumed that trees several years old would be replaced with identically sized pines. Using younger saplings from 15-gallon containers was much more financially feasible, Nagy said.

“We are so sorry we cannot replace the trees at the size they originally were, but we would have had to crane those trees in,� she said. “We’re just starting from scratch. These will take a couple of years to get used to being in the ground again before they get happy and start growing well.�

Many of the original trees were planted in an Eagle Scout project, while several others were memorial trees planted in honor of donors’ loved ones.