DANA POINT : Group Advises Replacing Diseased Palms

The historic date palms in Capistrano Beach that are being ravaged by an incurable and fatal fungus should eventually be replaced, a special committee has recommended.

Made up of city officials, landscape architects and experts, the committee identified 55 of the stately palms as infected. They were planted along streets in the 1920s when the Doheny family developed the area.

The trees should be replaced over a 10-year period as they slowly deteriorate, the committee recommended.

The cost per year to replace dying trees and continue trimming healthy ones is estimated at $41,700 to $54,750, which would mean a slight increase in the city’s tree maintenance budget.

“I think the city should recognize the role these palms play in the community--not only historically but for the quality of life,” said Mike Major, a Capistrano Beach arborist and committee member.

The panel has spent more than 100 hours working on a report to be presented to the City Council tonight.

The fatal fungus striking the palms, fusarium wilt, is spread when pruning equipment is not sterilized.

The disease attacks a tree’s vascular system, turning once green fronds to brown. Chain saws should not be used to trim the palms because they cannot be sterilized.

Although the fungus is believed to have first affected the palms nearly a decade ago, it was accidentally spread as late as 1993 when the trees were trimmed by a city-hired company whose workers used chain saws, Major said.

The city first became aware of the fungus problem last March. The trees, on the city right of way, are among those that line Avenida Las Palmas and Calle Fortuna.

The city has 363 date palms, according to a city report.

Residents who live on streets lined by the trees were dismayed last year to learn of the prognosis for the diseased palms.

The estimated cost to replace one date palm can be as much as $6,000.