Hollywood : Street Trees Protected

Responding to complaints from area residents and Councilman Michael Woo, the Los Angeles City Board of Public Works has adopted new protections for street trees.

A City Council office must be notified and a public hearing must be held before public works employees can remove three or more trees from any single location, according to Woo’s office.

Woo and members of the Los Feliz Improvement Assn. demanded proper notification for the removal of trees last spring, after learning that five mature ficus trees were to be removed from Hollywood Boulevard, across from Woo’s district office. Woo said the permit for their removal had been granted without his office being notified.

As a result of the recent action, trees slated for removal must carry signs notifying residents and merchants of the city’s plans, and of the date and time for a scheduled public hearing on the matter, Woo said.

“Three trees may not sound like much,” Woo said in a statement, “but in a city like Los Angeles, they make a lot of difference. We have to protect every bit of our urban forest.”