Farewell to the ficus fracas

Apparently -- breathe a sigh of relief -- the ficus fracas is

over.

Newport Beach and members of the Balboa Arbor Society came to an

agreement last week that will save one of the remaining Peninsula

ficus trees. City leaders also promised to review the city’s tree

policy and consider drafting a tree ordinance. That could mean more

protection for the city’s oldest trees in the future.

But perhaps even more importantly for most, the agreement should

quell the screaming, letter-writing and hand-wringing that the whole

episode unleashed. Not that the saving of the trees is unimportant.

It was just, well, at certain point the story spiraled so out of

control that the ficus trees faded into the background.

Wait, no, they got cut down. That’s right.

Nevertheless, it is heartening to see agreement come from such

noisy discord. And just in the time for the holidays.