A group of Goleta neighbors are voicing concerns over a plan to remove 17 large trees in the Berkeley Road neighborhood of eastern Goleta.
The group launched a website and formed an organization titled “Save Goleta Trees” and are urging city officials to do more to maintain and protect large trees in this neighborhood and throughout the city.
The trees are reportedly slated for removal next week and are part of a plan by the city’s Public Works Department to repair streets and sidewalks in the neighborhood.
“While some of the trees are in decline, others remain healthy and could remain standing for decades if the city was willing to make minor adjustments to the infrastructure project,” the group stated in a press release.
When the city began posting removal notices on the trees earlier this month, the group hired an arborist to provide an independent review. tThe arborist concluded that at least three of the trees (and possibly more) “remain viable candidates for preservation” and recommended that those trees be retained, the group said.
The group is also asking the City to prepare a replanting plan to replace any trees that are removed.
According to the press release, the Public Works Department has refused to commit to any replanting program, instead relying on homeowners to plant and maintain replacement trees in the publicly owned parkways.
“When my next-door neighbor’s tree was removed, it took over two years for the city to plant a new one,” said resident Kalia Rork, a former member of the city’s Public Tree Advisory Commission (PTAC). “And they planted only a tiny sapling that will take decades to replace the shade, beauty, bird habitat, and environmental benefits that were lost in a single afternoon.”
Normally, removal of large trees can be appealed to the PTAC where the five residents who serve on the commission advise the City on how to properly manage and protect Goleta’s urban forests.
With these trees, the city has deemed them as hazards to public health and safety making it exempt from commission review.
“The removal of so many trees at once is going to change the look and feel of our neighborhood, eliminate shade, and destroy important bird habitat,” said resident Jeff Kuyper. “If the city doesn’t improve how it manages our urban forest, this tragedy is going to be repeated over and over again in neighborhoods across the City.”
While the identities of the residents in the group are not publicly disclosed, they are encouraging Goleta residents to contact Mayor Paula Perrotte, City Manager Robert Nisbet, Public Works Director Nina Buelna, Assistant Public Works Director Autumn Glaeser, and Principal Civil Engineer John Plummer. Their contact information is provided on their website.
Grateful to see residents fighting Public Works to save mature trees in their neighborhood. Permeable sidewalks work well and avoid problems of sidewalks buckling. Trees not only help combat climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide but also offer other benefits like cooling shade, erosion control, and wildlife habitat. Wish Public Works would value our trees more and find sensible work arounds to any issues.
The gov is not going to replace the trees, but at least we know their gameplan. Simply plant fruit trees, which cost almost nothing and will provide a lifetime of fruit. If you have a bit of dough, plant full-size trees of your choice. Easy P Z…
i grew up on Berkeley rd, this is my old neighborhood. i know these trees and the “problems” that the City claims is the reason to remove them. The city needs to do some research. There are many many ways that this can be taken care of without tree removal. These trees are mature and provide shade, oxygen, and homes for critters, they also provide privacy and beauty. Roads and sidewalks can be repaired. Same situation happened on my current street in the city of SB. they didn’t remove the tree, the replaced the square of sidewalk with a flex portion of asphalt that helps it mitigate the root structure of the tree. They do the same for the road way. It’s last three winters so far. This cost was a drop in the bucket vs removing the trees and replanting.
I grew up on Berkeley as well.
If those are Liquid Ambers and they drop those spikey balls, they are a bonus if you like jumps on the sidewalk for bikes and Skate B’s and those spikey balls under our board wheels would stop you and we could practice the long jump.
LOL
The only consideration for removal would be handicap issues making it hard on wheelchairs etc.
Liquidambar
“. . . relying on homeowners to plant and maintain replacement trees in the publicly owned parkways.” This ridiculous proposal is an affront to reality, practicality and human nature. The average person has NO CLUE how to help establish or maintain newly planted or even older trees. (BeesKnees’ comment demonstrates this perfectly.)
To propagate a tree takes a lot of water. Once the tree is established and growing, the average tree requires 10-15 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter PER WEEK, depending on species of tree, tree size and type of weather. A gallon of water weighs 8.5 pounds. Unless the homeowners/property tenants intend to use a garden hose or install some type of drip system, this would mean lugging up to (potentially) 135 lbs of water out to each tree, per week.
Not to mention the fact that the cost of city/county water is rapidly becoming more and more expensive. Who here wants to add such cost to their water bill? AND in Santa Barbara County we are constantly in a state of drought. Good luck to the average Joe/Jane who tries to keep up with maintaining these thirsty new trees.
BeesKnees proposing that people plant fruit trees as street trees is even more laughable. Anyone who has ever tried growing fruit trees will tell you that fruit trees need a lot of care and can often be high maintenance, particularly when it comes to getting them established. Hardly any fruit trees grow tall enough to provide good shade canopy or wildlife habitat. Not to mention how messy the trees can become when they proceed to drop fruit.
What on Earth is going on with Santa Barbara City and County waging this vendetta against healthy, mature trees? Trees that provide shade and wildlife habitat? Trees which are helping provide better air quality?
If trees are ailing —– help them become well again. If one or two trees are beyond saving, does this mean all of the trees need to be removed? It’s a disgrace that our urban forest is now under attack and that residents need to fight to keep their beloved trees from being senselessly massacred.
I agree with you generally, but felt driven to clarify that this is GOLETA City.
At least Santa Barbara usually includes replacement in their street work that removes trees.
More parkway trees were planted in my neighborhood recently and a SB City water truck regularly fills the watering bags at the base of the new trees.
My suggestion to plant fruit trees to replace the trees that the City of Goleta is planning to remove is only a suggestion. Plant any tree that you feel “works” for you and your property. For example, as beautiful as jacaranda trees are, they are quite messy (see West Mission Street near Modoc). For most of us, tree planting is a simple process. For others, calculating the weight of the water is important (buy a garden hose?). Can’t dig a hole…get a friend or neighbor to help, or ask your gardener or landscaper to do the deed for a fee. The trees are coming out and the city says they have no plans to replace them. Throwing hands up in the air and saying, “Oh no, what can we possibly do?” is not an option. Goletans are resourceful, will take charge, and get trees planted without government’s involvement. And, again, it does not have to be a fruit tree, that’s just what I would do if I were planting a tree in front of my house.
Recommendation: Do NOT plant liquid amber trees! Those “spikey” seed pods are a nightmare!!!
Liquidambar
Lots of names for this tree (per Wikipedia): “….. commonly called sweetgum[2] (star gum in the UK),[3] gum,[2] redgum,[2] satin-walnut,[2] styrax or American storax.” I prefer the local name for it, which is liquid amber (aka, liquidambar).
Nice try at excusing ignorance.
The liquid ambers do suck, having had one I know. We had someone come close to suing us to cover her physical therapy costs because she slipped and tweaked her ankle on one of the indestructible spiky balls from a tree that was on our property. But it seems wrong that the City wants to rip out all these trees and yet aren’t planning to do anything to replace them. I guess that little strip outside the sidewalks is the responsibility of the homeowner, I don’t know. I’m guessing close to none of the residents living there will be planting replacement trees.
Liquidambar
so the City of Goleta want to push this issue down to the property owner, pay for the cost of the tree & planting it. Additionally the GWD will charge the property owner outrage sums of money for water, while the city continues to build housing – what don’t you like?