IRVINE : Woodsmen, Spare Those Noble Trees

Early this summer, Clay Martin was driving through the city, doing his job as Irvine’s urban forester, when a tree in a front yard caught his eye.

The mature, 30-foot California pepper tree stood out from the rest on the block only because it was a full, beautiful specimen on a street where most other trees had fallen victim to overzealous trimmers, Martin recalled.

The problem--and what gave Martin an idea to help preserve some of the beautiful trees on private property in Irvine--was what he saw the next time he drove down that same street.

The pepper tree, too, had been excessively pruned.

Gone was the tree’s full shape that gave character to the house and the whole street, he said. Worse, the trimming had severely injured the tree and its ability to grow.

“The tree would never be the same again,” Martin said. “The homeowner and the community had lost a great tree.”

To help residents maintain their trees and reduce the number of similar incidents, Martin began a list of “significant community trees.” Residents whose trees make the list will be able to tap Martin’s tree expertise for questions on trimming or saving the tree from life-threatening problems.

“It’s the kind of advice they don’t have a place to go for and probably couldn’t afford to get,” Martin said.

So far, Martin has sent three letters to residents notifying them that their trees qualify for the list and congratulating them for maintaining the tree in fine shape. The letter ends with Martin’s phone number and an offer to answer any questions about tree care.

More residents will receive letters as he spots other significant trees around the city and adds to the list, Martin said.

Howard Kranther, a resident of the Woodbridge community with an old weeping willow in the front yard, said Martin’s program started just in time.

The roots of his 25-foot-high willow clogged his neighbor’s sewer line a few weeks ago, Kranther said. He thought the tree would have to be destroyed to prevent the problem from recurring. But removing the tree would be a shame, because it was one of the reasons he and his wife bought the house three years ago, he said. It makes his 10-year-old home look established.

“There are some other trees in the neighborhood, but they’re all pretty small,” Kranther said. “It looks kind of, not to say barren, but a little too well-trimmed. This is a substantial tree.”

Martin recommended the roots be trimmed back and an underground barrier be installed to stop the roots from again growing toward the sewer pipe.

“Frankly, I wasn’t aware of root barriers, so if the tree is saved, it would all be because of (Martin),” Kranther said.

Most of Martin’s advice to residents probably will concern how to select a qualified arborist when it comes time to trim trees. A bad trimming will not only ruin a tree’s appearance but will also weaken the tree and leave it open to disease and attacks by insects, he said.

“So many mistakes are made, and they’re just irreparable,” he said.