COSTA MESA : City Will Spare That Tree--for a Price

Homeowners may now save trees in front of their homes from the city’s buzz saws if they agree to pay the costs.

The new rule would give homeowners a chance to save trees the city plans to remove if they promise to take preventive steps, such as putting in root barriers, that would prevent damage, said William Morris, Costa Mesa’s director of public services.

City officials said that in coming years they plan to remove five species of trees--ficus nitida, ficus retusa, shamel ash, Brazilian pepper and carrotwood--from city grounds. Extensive root systems have cracked sidewalks, streets and even threatened sewage lines. The council voted March 5 to chop down 411 trees.

Tom Larson, president of the Orange County Tree Society, said of the city’s plan to allow homeowners to pay tree costs: “That’s pretty dumb. There isn’t any homeowner that is going to hock his kids to save the trees. So the whole thing is a power (play) which gives the city the power to remove any tree anyplace they want anytime they want.”

Morris, however, said city officials researched the issue and concluded “this is the only mechanism we know of” that would allow the city to save the trees.

Morris said the council had also considered having the homeowners post a “large amount of money” as sort of a bond against future tree damage, but scrapped the idea. The problem was officials could not decide exactly what the dollar figure should be, Morris said.

Larson said that for the individual homeowner, root barriers would cost about $250. Pruning, he said, costs about $50 per year.

“It would be just like we collect tax,” Morris said. “We would refer it to the tax assessor. If the lien is not paid, we could foreclose on the property.”

A resident who protested the council’s decision to chop down the 411 trees was also angry at the council’s decision.

“It’s ludicrous,” said Paul Bozarth, who distributed hundreds of flyers door to door in an attempt to save trees the city plans to chop down. “It’s a way to bully the citizens.”