No rooting for tree policy

June Casagrande

A City Council study session today on city trees could be proof of

the old adage be careful what you wish for.

The council will hear tonight recommendations for changing the

city’s tree, or G-1, policy -- changes that were initiated by the

Balboa Arbor Society but that have taken a form the society can’t

support.

“The proposed changes to the G-1 policy have the potential to lead

to large numbers of unmitigated tree removals,” arbor society

spokesman Jan Vandersloot said in a written statement on the tree

policy.

City Manager Homer Bludau agreed that the policy changes could

allow for more tree removals but disagreed that that’s necessarily a

problem.

“I think there’s the possibility that it could result in more tree

removals, and that is true,” Bludau said. “But when you look at our

urban forest and how well the city manages its trees, I think anyone

can see that staff do a good job of managing our urban forest.”

Tonight’s discussion, which could appear again on an agenda if the

council decides that some action needs to be taken, evolved out of

last year’s widely reported fight over 25 ficus trees in Balboa

Village. Society members had filed suit lawsuit against the city to

stop the removal of the trees lining Main Street.

City officials said they wanted to remove the trees because the

roots were causing damage. And they were under pressure because plans

for Balboa Village renovations hinged on removal of the trees.

The parties decided to settle, with the arbor society’s

requirement that the city conduct a thorough review of its existing

tree policy. In line with that provision, the city created an ad hoc

tree committee to review the policy in a series of five public

meetings. Their recommendations will come before the council tonight.

The changes deal mainly with the trees owned by the city on

municipal land. The committee is recommending, among other things,

broadening the power of the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission

to add trees to or remove them from the list of “special” city trees,

a designation that some say should have protected some Main Street

ficus.

The committee has also recommended adding a section to the tree

policy to deal with “problem trees,” a label that includes trees that

block ocean views.