Westside : Buzz Cut May Save Coral Trees in Brentwood

What with tree trunk-sized limbs breaking off willy-nilly, it’s always a bit dicey to spend too much time under San Vicente Boulevard’s beloved coral trees this time of year.

And that was before recent bad news that about a third of the 160 trees in Brentwood are in a precarious state and might be slated for the woodpile. Such a loss would be a catastrophe in the eyes of locals who fought to save the lush tropical trees 20 years ago and pay for their upkeep today.

“We’re sick about the whole thing,” said Barbara Goldenberg, a founding member of SOS Coral Trees, the treesupport group.

Eleven of the top-heavy trees, which were designated a city cultural historical monument in 1976, have been felled to keep them from collapsing from their own weight, said Raymond Gandara, a superintendent of tree maintenance for Los Angeles.

The beautiful trees, planted along the old Red Car right of way in the 1940s, are apparently a victim of their own success. Brentwood residents prefer them bushy and laden with burnt-orange blossoms, making them top-heavy, Gandara said.

The spongy, brittle trunks are prone to breaking off anyway. Another problem is the root system, which grows up toward surface water used to keep the grass green, instead of burrowing deeper in search of ground water, Gandara said.

Santa Monica’s more aggressive pruning policy means the trees along its end of San Vicente are not endangered.

So Brentwood tried the same method to save its remaining trees, giving them a recent buzz cut.