SANTA ANA : City Ax to Fall on 132 Liquidambars

The 132 liquidambar trees that line both sides of Cabrillo Park Drive are in full bloom this time of year, but they won’t be for long.

In a few weeks, crews will begin cutting down and removing 99 of the trees, which were planted 25 years ago, because city officials say their large roots are causing severe damage to sidewalks and pose a hazard. Workers already have begun removing portions of the damaged sidewalks.

Resident Paula Cobb, who has lived on the street for 10 years, is so upset about losing the picturesque view created by the 30- to 35-foot trees that she is leading a petition drive to save them. Cobb said she finds it sadly ironic that the trees would be cut down so soon after Earth Day on April 22.

“The whole world is in tune with saving the environment,” Cobb said. “So what does our forward-thinking city of Santa Ana do? Why, we cut down 99 trees.”

Cobb and other residents say the tree-lined appearance of Cabrillo Park Drive is what attracted them to the neighborhood in the first place.

“When I moved in, I thought, ‘Wow, what a pretty street!’ ” said Theresa Prasher, who moved to the neighborhood a year ago. “It’s so nice to have a canopy of trees and this street just wouldn’t be the same without them.”

Larry Christian, the city’s maintenance manager, said the city has no choice but to remove the trees. He said some areas of the sidewalk along Cabrillo Park Drive have been offset by as much as 10 inches because of the tree roots.

“Eventually, you’re going to have someone have a serious trip and fall,” Christian said. “Fortunately, no liability claims have been filed against the city so far, which is what we’re trying to avoid by removing the trees.”

Christian said the Cabrillo Park Drive project is one of the biggest jobs in the city’s five-year tree removal program. The program, put into place four years ago, targets trees responsible for an estimated $13 million in damage to sidewalks, curbs and streets.

“Besides the 118 ficus trees we removed from Santa Clara Street five months ago, this is the most trees we’ve removed from any one street,” he said.

He said that because the various condominium, townhouse and apartment complexes along the street have extensive landscaping, the city will not replace the destroyed trees. Instead, 10 to 12 liquidambar trees will be planted in the median.