Newport leaders vote to tear out trees

June Casagrande

CORONA DEL MAR -- The 114 diseased Canary Island date palm trees that

have long contributed to the character of Marguerite Avenue will be

removed and replaced with king palms, the City Council decided Tuesday.

The news is upsetting to residents who wanted larger, more mature

trees to take their place. But city officials argued that young king

palms, which will be 8 to 10 feet high when they are planted along the

avenue, are the only affordable option.

The young king palms will cost the city $900 each. More mature trees

would cost about $2,500 each.

“The people living in this area and people like myself are sorry to

see these big palms go,” said City Councilman Dennis O’Neil, whose

district includes Marguerite in Corona del Mar. “To replace them with

fully mature trees is very expensive.”

The Canary Island date palm trees, located in the parkways on

Marguerite, have long been known to be victim to fusarium wilt, a disease

that will eventually kill the trees. The city selected the king palms as

the best replacement in part because they are resistant to disease.

Trees affected by fusarium wilt can often be identified by the fact

that their fronds die in abnormal patterns, such as when all the fronds

on one side die sooner than those on the other side of the tree.

In 1997, tests showed the Marguerite trees were infected with the

disease. An attempt to cure them in 1998 failed. To limit the spread of

the contagious disease, which was first identified in this tree species

in California in 1927, crews have used sterile pruning techniques. There

is no cure for the disease and no way to stop it from spreading except by

removing the trees.

“They’re a historical landmark identifying that particular area in

Corona del Mar. They’re beautiful,” O’Neil said. “To see these removed

is emotional and upsetting. Replacing them with a much smaller tree is

not acceptable to some in the community. The fact is that the trees have

to come out. It’s a reality that they have a disease and they can’t be

cured. The city can’t afford to replace them with fully mature trees.”