Staff Report on Trees Goes to City Council

Revisiting one of the touchiest subjects in town, the City Council will reconsider tonight whether this city should further consider creating an ordinance that could force residents to remove or trim trees on private property.

Urged on by residents who insist that overgrown trees pose a fire hazard, the council in July asked city staff members to prepare a report on the subject.

While proponents say the tree removal issue hinges on safety concerns, some residents have apparently pressed to have trees trimmed or chopped down largely to improve their view.

Fire Chief William Edmundson said the department has received “an ever-increasing number of fire hazard tree-related complaints,” according to his report to the council. In almost every case, “the identified fire hazard was a tree that blocked someone’s view,” he said.

He suggested the city might want to create a board called the “Laguna Beach Tree Police” to deal with view preservation.

In studying the matter over the past six months, the city staff found five California cities with view obstruction/tree trimming ordinances.

The staff report recommends the issue be referred to the Planning Commission for further study. The meeting at City Council chambers begins at 6 p.m.