Just a quick reminder of the basic issue here. On 2d and 4th Streets in downtown Santa Monica, the city wants to yank out perfectly healthy trees similar to "A" in the photo above, and replace them with juvenile, shadeless saplings similar to "B." (Photos taken on 32d Street, where similar replacements took place.)
The city claims many of the trees it wants to remove are damaged beyond repair, though an independent arborist's review claims otherwise. But the majority of the trees–perfectly healthy by the city's own account–are being ripped out and moved away, at a cost of nearly $3/4 million, for what the city describes as "design reasons" connected with the 2nd & 4th Streets Pedestrian and Streetscape Improvements Project. The replacement saplings will take 15 to 20 years to grow to maturity, blocking views of the retail stores and providing little or no shade in the interim.
The city's own design consultant described this option as far less environmentally beneficial than simply leaving the healthy ficus trees in place. On these heavily-traveled streets the replacement trees will capture significantly less stormwater runoff and automobile pollutants than the existing trees. With little protection for pedestrians, they will also create a worse shopping environment than the robust, shady canopy of the existing ficus grove.
The city's urban forester considers these ficus "a treasure" and the city's Seascape newsletter published glowing reviews of these trees' numerous environmental–and financial–benefits. An important environmental organization has publicly endorsed our efforts to save these trees, mirroring the sentiments of thousands who have signed our various petitions (including our on-line one). The on-going attempts to save these trees have received encouragement and support from major local publications and local realtors, and every single neighborhood group in Santa Monica, from the Friends of Sunset Park to the Wilshire-Montana Neighborhood Coalition has endorsed our efforts on behalf of these trees, keeping them where they are–protecting pedestrians and helping the environment as they have for the past forty years.
In spite of all this, the city is intent on proceeding with the strange and ill-conceived plan to destroy or remove these fine trees, and do away with the distinctive appearance and environment of our tree-shaded downtown streets.
On January 3rd, the Treesavers will kick off the new year's tree-saving activities with a great mobilization meeting at the regional offices of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Santa Monica. Come join us for this unique organizing event and help save these trees!
El Segundo: where ficus once thrived before their removal.
