Killing all the trees on California Avenue Around Town, posted by Jim Fruchterman, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Sep 15, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Does anyone have an idea why the city is chopping down all the trees along the California Avenue shopping district. I can't imagine why this is a good idea.
Posted by billy, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Sep 15, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Probably some car owners whining about falling branches. Why not just remove the parking spaces instead of removing the trees?
California Ave. will be such an ugly street without the trees. Maybe the building owners can hire some aspiring artists to paint murals on the storefronts.
Posted by Jim Fruchterman, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Sep 15, 2009 at 4:06 pm
According to the Country Sun checker, it was because of disease. Three blocks of CA Ave north side are all chopped down, and they are a third of the way down the south side.
It is really sad. Will take at least ten years to bring back the nice trees CA Ave has had.
Posted by Time to renew, a resident of the Meadow Park neighborhood, on Sep 15, 2009 at 5:02 pm
I am sure Canopy has weighed in on removing the trees and been involved with choosing the replacements. Trees have finite lives and those trees have been there a very long time, they need replacing.
There were protests when the pine trees were removed along San Antonio, now it has all been replanted and the neighbors are very pleased.
Posted by Jocelyn Dong, managing editor of the Palo Alto Weekly, on Sep 15, 2009 at 10:09 pm Jocelyn Dong is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Hi all,
The tree removals are part of an overall city plan to renovate the streetscape of California Avenue. Please check out the Weekly's story posted at:
Posted by PAN_neighbor, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Sep 16, 2009 at 9:29 am
CITY OF PALO ALTO - PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT - CALIFORNIA AVENUE STREET TREE - REPLACEMENT PROJECT
CIP #PE-07005
PROJECT NOTIFICATION - Project Start Date: September 14, 2009 Project End Date: November 13, 2009
Project Description:
The City of Palo Alto Public Works Department (City) with Suarez and Munoz Contractors (Contractor) shall be replacing most of the street trees on California Avenue from El Camino Real to Caltrain Station Depot. Currently, most of the existing street trees are Holly Oaks and many of them are diseased and in poor condition. Their branches cover street lights and grow over building storefronts and roofs requiring frequent tree trimming. They bear and drop large acorn fruits that are tripping hazards for pedestrians.
The Holly Oaks will be replaced with Red Maples, deciduous trees that change color to deep red. Tree selections were made by the Public Works Tree Division and were well received by the California Avenue Area Development Association (CAADA). Red Maple is a fast growing tree that is tolerant to different soil conditions. They produce smaller seed fruits that are safer for pedestrians to walk over. With the replacement of street trees, the City standard tree wells with metal grates will be installed in concrete sidewalks which will bring a uniform look to the business district. The existing tree wells in sidewalks are open wells which may be tripping hazards.
Scope of Work:
First phase of the work will be removal of the existing trees. Second phase is the removal of the concrete around the trees needed in order to remove the tree stumps and roots to full depth. After the tree stumps are removed, concrete sidewalk shall be poured back with the new tree grates and frames set in place. Finally, the new street trees shall be planted.
Partial closure of the sidewalk and parking spaces are required for the work. The City and the Contractor will ensure that businesses are accessible during the construction project. A maximum of two blocks shall be worked on at the same time, and only one side of those blocks shall have construction activities resulting in limited sidewalk access and parking spaces closure. There will be times when one lane of the street will need to be closed for tree removal and concrete operations equipment.
The Contractor shall be starting work at 8AM and ending no later than 6PM. The Contractor has been instructed not to work between the busy lunch hours of 11:30AM to 1:30PM. Please expect significant noise disruptions during the construction work especially during the tree and concrete removal. The project is expected to take 60 calendar days.
STREET RESURFACING PROJECT TO COINCIDE AND FOLLOW TREE REPLACEMENT PROJECT.
In order to minimize impacts to California Avenue business district, the Public Works Department will be coordinating the Street Resurfacing of California Avenue project with the Street Tree Replacement Project. The projects shall be coordinated in order to minimize closure of sidewalks, parking spaces, and street lanes. The Street Resurfacing work is managed by a separate contractor with details of the coordination to follow. The ultimate goal is to finish both the street tree and resurfacing before Thanksgiving on November 26, 2009.
The Public Works Department will provide more information as it becomes available. If you have any questions, please contact us. Project contacts are listed below. Thank you.
PROJECT CONTACTS:
Tree Replacement Project questions, please contact:
Young Tran, Public Works Project Engineer -phone: 650.329.2160
email: Young.Tran@cityofpaloalto.org
Woojae Kim, Public Works Engineer -phone: 650.329.2446
email: Woojae.Kim@cityofpaloalto.org
Eric Krebs, Public Works Managing Arborist - phone: 650.496.6905
email: Eric.Krebs@cityofpaloalto.org
John Suarez, Project Manager for Suarez & Munoz Contractors -Phone: 510.782.6065
Email: john@suarezmunoz.com
Street Resurfacing Project questions, please contact:
Matt Brunnings - Phone: 650.617.3148 - Email: Matt.Brunnings@cityofpaloalto.org
Posted by First Stage of, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Sep 16, 2009 at 12:38 pm
I would like to see an official report on the diseased trees along Cal Ave. At least one by the city and hopefully a second opinion by an independent consultant. I'm not convinced. I have heard no discussion of the diseased trees in the neighborhood or along Cal Ave, none, and not a word about the idea of clear cutting. Yesterday, I walked under the trees on the south side after they had cut away the north side. From underneath while walking, I counted 22 healthy trees, 5 distressed trees, and no diseased trees. After that, I walked down the sunny side of the street and looked at the stumps and saw no evidence of systemic disease. The wood was clear and clean. I'm not an expert but I know a diseased tree when I see one. What was the development association thinking? That we wouldn't notice? That we wouldn't care? What was the city thinking? That they could save the street by destroying the street? I must say I am embarrassed to live in a place with so little judgement and whose priorities can be so easily manipulated, especially in times of budget crisis. What other surprises are in store for Cal Ave. in the master plan by these aesthetic geniuses? Are we trying to drive out our businesses, keep people away from Cal Ave.? Are we now promoting urban blight? It's an outrage and a scandal, to spend millions on strip mining a neighborhood treasure. In 10 years I may love it, but I already did. The whole thing feels sneaky, dirty, contrived, and stupid beyond belief.
Posted by sanity about trees, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Sep 16, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Those holly oaks are lousy trees. Oak trees, in general, are not good in business districts, because they are messy and drop acorns. They are being replaced with red maples, which are much better.
Now we need this tree cutting crew to go down every street in Palo Alto and cut down those damn liquid ambers...and replace them any other tree, although red maples would be just fine. Whoever gave the order to plant liquid ambers in Palo Alto should be tarred and feathered.!
Posted by Herb Borock, a resident of the Professorville neighborhood, on Sep 16, 2009 at 2:07 pm
This work is part of Capital Improvement Project PE-07005 that was included in the Council approved 2007-09 Capital Improvment Program budget. See PDF pages 155 and 156 of 354 at Web Link. Printed budget pages 123 and 124.
The project was managed by the Public Works Department.
According to the approved budget, the project was supposed to be reviewed by Architectural Review Board, the Public Arts Commission, and the Planning and Transportation Commission.
Perhaps somebody in the Public Works Department can tell us when the project was reviewed by those Council appointed groups.
Posted by Andrew L. Freedman, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Sep 16, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Hello all,
I was well in my 30s when I discovered the life of trees. They really are alive and have souls. For about 12 years, I’d go to Hoover Park and sit on a bench and commune with a willow tree. It was a very consoling tree and I always walked away feeling renewed. One day, I even wrote a short story entitled Hoover Park and the Willow Tree. It was about a Willow Tree that was almost mistakenly cut down (in had a lot of twists and turns and was “quirky”).
Usually, if something troubles me personally, I resolve the issue right away, rather than have it fester. There’s nothing good about carrying grudges or ill feelings. So normally I wouldn’t bring this up, but it’s about the tree, not me.
One day I came to the park to be with the willow tree – and it had been chopped down. No notice or anything (this happened about 9 years ago).
I called and spoke to the city arborist and his first response was, “Well, we had some Willow Trees at (another park in Palo) that fell down during the storm. When I said that Hoover wasn’t that other park, he changed the reason to say that the tree had disease. He said he’s show me, however, he was a no show and now call when I went to meet with him at the appointed time.
It takes people to speak for those who can’t and if there is a current problem with trees being removed here in Palo Alto without proper process, then it would be addressed. Palo Alto has a very long history of protecting its trees. Herb, above, brought up a good question and it sparked me to write about the Willow Tree.
Posted by sanity about trees, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Sep 16, 2009 at 3:56 pm
"They really are alive and have souls"
Andrew,
That is your opinion. I don't share it. Trees can be real problems. Some of them lift up the sidewalks, and present real dangers, including death to walkers. Some of them, like liquid ambers are just a pain in the butt, because they drop seed pods that twist ankles, crash bicylces and jam lawn mowers.
Some trees are a poem, but others are a living hell. I will leave it to others to determine if they have souls.
Posted by stephanie enos, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Sep 18, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Just to let people know: I received the Canopy Tree news by email today and they were not informed either about cutting down the trees but are very eager to help the city plant appropriate replacement ones for California Ave.
BTW I was informed that the holly oaks that were removed are not native like the live oaks. For me the issue was taking them all down in one fell swoop thus instantly eradicating any shade.
Posted by Leonard, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Sep 19, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Clearly no one was THINKING! And if they were thinking, I believe that all the voters of Palo Alto (especially the folks who frequent California Avenue regularly and those who work there)should have had all the information, and the input, to challenge distorted thought processes. Where are the funds coming from for this "beautification" project?
As for the writer "sanity about trees" comment, who opined "Trees can be real problems": Guess what: People also can be real problems too!
That has been clearly demonstrated by the activities on California Avenue this past week.
Posted by Kenneth Peter, a resident of the St. Claire Gardens neighborhood, on Sep 20, 2009 at 5:59 pm
It is my understanding that the City violated a 14 day comment period, as detailed in its own internal memorandum. I would like to see journalists/City Council look into this to ascertain who was responsible for authorizing the cutting prior to the full passage of time ordered by the memo.
A 14 day comment period is quite obviously NOT a simple technicality, given the torrential outpouring of concerns and even rage registered on numerous online boards about this decision. Whatever the City did to "consult" its residents as been proven to be hopelessly inadequate.
The trees cannot be replaced in my generation. But it is not too late for Palo Alto to begin some genuine consultation on this issue. Talking to our residents might well help the City to realize that:
1) Saplings are inadequate replacements--getting shade and aesthetic appeal back on the street should not wait for a decade or more.
2) The City's decision to plant another monoculture is completely hypocritical, given that it claimed that the clearcut was necessary because "nearly all" the oaks were diseased.
3) Replacements should be evergreen, as the oaks were, rather than deciduous, as the planned maples will be. This street needs the softening effect of foliage even in the winter. Two weeks of fall colors is inadequate compensation for year round foliage and curb appeal.
I hope that we shall have a full scale investigation of this. We can possibly debate the act of cutting itself, but what cannot be questioned is the incompetence of those responsible for consulting the public.
The last time I felt so strongly was as a grad student. I lived in the East near a 150 year old canal. Hundreds of townspeople walked and jogged on the old towpath of the canal. One week, with no notice, public authorities clearcut all the trees on the banks of the towpath. I never did learn why this was done--but a valuable public resource was ruined for a generation.
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