ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Trees to Reach New Heights

There are trees in Orange County that have survived drought, disease, earthquakes, fires and floods. The question these days is whether they can survive continued urban growth. Several recent actions serve as an encouraging reminder of growing vigilance both by the county’s citizens and city councils.

In Laguna Beach, when residents noticed a workman sawing off the limbs of a popular eucalyptus tree next to City Hall, they persuaded the City Council to replace the lost tree with $10,000 worth of new mature trees. The same city officials exercised their new awareness last week in voting to condemn a nine-acre parcel of land to preserve two old eucalyptus trees from being destroyed by grading.

In Huntington Beach, the City Council last week voted unanimously to eliminate a height limit for trees and hedges along property lines to prevent them from being trimmed, and destroyed in the process. La Habra ordered a developer to replace a stand of trees accidentally destroyed during construction of a new shopping center, and the Yorba Linda City Council rejected the efforts of two councilmen who wanted to ban palm trees in the city because they looked like “(power) poles with leaves on top.”

Trees always have had a strong association with the Orange County landscape, from the familiar orange groves--most of which have been replaced by homes, stores and service stations--to the mighty oaks, tropical palms and huge eucalyptus trees. The more the county grows, the greater the obligation to protect and preserve its trees for today’s residents and for generations to follow.