ANAHEIM : City to Take Stand on Parkway Trees

City officials are about to unveil a new ordinance intended to clear any confusion about who owns the trees on city parkways: the city does.

The ordinance, which was several years in the making, gives the city the first and last word on decisions to plant or replace trees and to remove any illegally planted trees or shrubs.

Several months ago, city workers chopped down three dozen 70-year-old oak and ash trees on the north side of Broadway in Anaheim, angering residents, some of whom have lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years.

The residents formed Broadway and Area Residents, an 85-member group that succeeded in saving the trees on the south side of the street.

Christopher K. Jarvi, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, said the ordinance probably will be controversial.

“You can’t please everyone. . . . You have people who want their tree taken out, and you have others who want one put in. You have some people who want their tree trimmed four times a year, and you have people who don’t want it trimmed at all.”

If passed, the ordinance will require that any appeals be made to the parks director, who may consult an outside arborist. In two meetings with community members, residents had asked that the appeals be made instead through a citizens committee.