SANTA ANA : Residents Win Battle to Preserve Old Trees

Residents won a two-month battle to save 99 liquidambar trees on Cabrillo Park Drive when the City Council voted Monday night to move the sidewalk around the old trees.

About 20 residents wearing green armbands cheered loudly when the council canceled a contract with a landscaping firm that had been hired to remove the trees, whose roots had caused severe damage to the sidewalk.

The council directed the city staff to devise a plan to install a meandering sidewalk around many of the trees in an attempt to make the area safe for pedestrians. The plan still hinges on property owners granting the city a five-foot easement to install a meandering sidewalk where needed.

“Keeping the trees will increase the beauty and property value of our neighborhood,” said resident Paula Cobb. “I think we have an excellent chance of getting residents to approve use of the easement.” A two-thirds vote from each homeowners’ association is necessary for the easement.

Residents met with city representatives on June 6 and agreed on some possible alternatives to removing the trees. The following week, residents accused city officials of going back on their word by failing to inform them about a “root-shaving” procedure that city crews began using on five of the trees.

The root shaving involves trimming the massive roots and reducing their size by as much as half. An arborist retained by the residents claimed that the procedure was killing the trees.

Councilman Miguel A. Pulido Jr. intervened and was successful in getting crews to halt work on the trees until the council had the chance to review the procedure at Monday’s meeting.

The city has since hired two arborists who inspected the trees and found the procedure to be “safe, effective and proper,” said James G. Ross, executive director of the public works agency.

In an attempt to avoid further confrontations over the procedure, the city plans to retain a registered arborist to supervise it.