Urth Caffe tree can stay — for now

Though an arborist said the tree should be removed, the Laguna Beach City Council on Tuesday declined to order that it be chopped down, instead giving the eucalyptus three more months to show signs of hardiness.

Council members voted unanimously to allow the time for last-ditch efforts at boosting the health of the 50-foot-tall red gum next to Urth Caffé in north Laguna.

In a city where residents hold trees in high regard, speakers during Tuesday’s meeting lauded the plant’s contribution to the area’s landscape. The tree stands in the middle of a sidewalk in the city’s right-of-way along Aster Street, visible to patrons dining on Urth’s outdoor patio.

But Councilman Bob Whalen warned that the tree presents a danger to people near it. Nonetheless, he agreed to let the patient live — for now.

Landscape designer Ruben Flores said eucalyptus trees can be resilient, alluding to one near his Laguna house.

“I see that thing and say, ‘Wow, it’s on its last leg,’ ” Flores said, referring to his tree and its occasional rebound with new growth. “That is what they do. They have survived. Let’s maintain it. Let’s cherish it.”

An arborist who reviewed reports from consultants hired by the city and Urth recommended that the tree be removed after he discovered pockets of decay in the trunk with roots crammed into a tight space.

“I see no long-term health option for that tree,” arborist Greg Applegate said at the meeting, adding that 90% of the roots are under dirt or concrete and asphalt. “They are not breathing. They need to get oxygen, need to get water.”

City staff held an on-site public meeting with arborists in late April as Laguna embarked on a more thorough vetting process before any tree is allowed to be taken out.

All experts who saw it agreed that the Urth tree was not well. Urth’s landscape architect recommended in a letter to the city in September that the tree be pulled out.

Applegate claimed construction trucks parked close to or directly above its roots while Urth was being renovated before opening last fall damaged the tree.

James Dockstader, Urth’s landscape architect, countered Tuesday that the tree was already in declining health before construction.

Applegate said a spray to control pests called lerp psyllids could be applied, while sections of wood from the trunk could be sent to UC Berkeley scientists to determine the level of decay.

Lerp psyllids suck needed nutrients from leaves, depriving a tree of energy and causing it to shed leaves.

Some residents suggested bumping out the curb to give the roots more space, but Applegate said the current configuration may give the roots stability.

“We lost that giant tree in the Lumberyard, and it was questionable whether that needed to come down,” said Councilman Robert Zur Schmiede, referring to an area on Forest Avenue. “This one I think is worth a try. Maybe we’re sitting here looking at a deathbed, but it is not dead yet.”

But Whalen countered with a hypothetical scenario: What if the city allowed 10 trees to stand despite arborists’ recommendations to remove them?

“If nine of them stood and one of them fell and killed somebody, I would not be able to live with myself,” Whalen said. “We have to believe in the process of these experts or else why do we have this policy?”

The city will review the tree’s health in three months. The council could decide then to remove the tree if it has not improved.

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bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce