COSTA MESA : Resident Decides to Fight for the Ficus

Paul Bozarth wondered about the big white X’s that mysteriously appeared this week on nearly 100 ficus trees near his home on Paularino Avenue just west of Bristol Street.

When he found out that they marked trees that the city planned to chop down, an angry Bozarth decided to fight for the ficus--a bushy-leafed shade tree that can grow up to 70 feet.

“Visually, it’s disastrous,” Bozarth said of Costa Mesa’s plans to chop down 411 trees citywide and replace them with pines, evergreens and other small trees. “And more important, it destroys the fiber of the community,” he added.

The city wants to cut the trees down because they have grown so large that their roots have torn up sidewalks, posing a serious liability problem, city officials said. And surprisingly, the city’s plan is being supported by tree advocates.

The Bozarths hope to convince the city to either replant the trees or trim the roots, but those solutions are not feasible, according to the city.

“Every city that grew these ficus trees is absolutely pulling their hair out trying to get rid of these things,” Costa Mesa Mayor Peter Buffa said, “and because of that, no one wants them.”

Buffa said the city faced a similar controversy three years ago before it chopped down about 400 other ficus trees. He said the city investigated various possibilities, including replanting or trimming roots, and decided that removing the trees was the best solution.

“Everyone hates to remove mature trees,” he said. “But this particular tree has caused major problems. (The ficus) was the wrong tree planted in the wrong area, and we want to correct that.”

Tom Larson, president of the Tree Society of Orange County, agrees with plans to chop down the trees.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not one who likes to see trees removed, but considering the liability and all, I think the city is making the right decision,” he said.

It would cost about $15,000 to replant each tree, Larson said, and smaller replacement ficuses would cost about $5,000 each. Trimming the roots and then placing a barrier between them and the sidewalk also would not solve the problem because the roots would simply grow around the barrier in about two or three years, Larson explained.

The city will replace the ficus with trees that are “more suitable” and less likely to damage the sidewalks, Dave Alkema, the city’s park and parkways superintendent, said.

Bozarth, who has lived in Costa Mesa for five years, will convene a meeting of local residents Sunday afternoon to discuss the tree controversy. He also plans to raise the matter at Monday’s City Council meeting.

However, the contractor slated to handle the tree-removal plans is all set.

“As far as I know, they’re just being chopped up and removed,” said Steve Fields, an estimator for Damon Construction in Gardena, as he read a city order for the project. “Let’s see, 411 trees--remove--yep, that’s it.”