The tree that ate the sidewalk: ficus

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Bloomberg News has a nice news-feature today on the sidewalk-eating headache that is the ficus tree: ‘The bill is coming due for Los Angeles, decades after ficus trees were planted to supply shade for a city bathed in sunshine almost year-round. The thrusting roots of mature ficus are tearing up sidewalks, triggering complaints and lawsuits.’

I was particularly happy to see L.A. Land’s tree expert, Pieter Severynen, quoted prominently: ‘Ficus trees are notorious supersizers,’’ Pieter tells Bloomberg. ‘Almost everything grows in Southern California. It becomes a curse when the cute little tree you planted turns into a monster.’’

More: ‘Los Angeles budgeted $8.4 million in May toward mending 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) of damaged sidewalks, said Victoria Villa-Agustin, an analyst at the Bureau of Street Services. It paid about $415,000 to settle 99 claims involving tree mishaps from July 2007 through April 2008.’

Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com.
Photo Credit: Bloomberg News.
Hat tip: JJ, via e-mail.