Anonymous
By an edhat reader
Marborg has cut 11 large healthy eucalyptus trees in the coastal zone and it exposes their industrial facilities. The city gave a permit to cut trees but it’s unsure what the reason was. Permits to remove this many mature eucalyptus trees must be done with a reason explaining why the trees require removal.
The address is 23 S. Quarantina Street (at the corner of Quarantina and Quinientos). There are multiple addresses associated with this site and it’s highly unclear – 10 S. Quarantina, 620 Quinientos…
The eucalyptus trees also served to block some of the noise and dust that’s generated by the MRF (material recovery facility – fancy term for concrete and asphalt crushing equipment). The dust that becomes airborne is loaded with silica, a known carcinogen.
The MRF and MarBorg’s other operations were set up between 2004 and 2013 when the zoning was M-1 Light Manufacturing. None of these land uses were legal, so MarBorg Industries and Lash Construction had the zoning changed to Industrial (I) to suit themselves. There is another cement company involved called Cemex, which is one of the largest businesses in the world, and on the Department of Justice and EPA list of top violators.
Additionally, MarBorg does not provide parking for their army of employees and the city has claimed they are not required to do so as the municipal code doesn’t have a requirement for their type of land use.
I guess that’s the trade off do some good, do some bad..
Why isn’t the City doing anything about this? $$$$$ What about city councilman Jason Dominguez who represents this area? $$$$$$ The family who owns Marborg has donated significantly to his campaign.
Eucs are dirty, invasive and extremely flammable. They should be removed from most place around SB. I see nothing wrong with this but a whole lot wrong with the ridiculous overreaction by people on such trivial matters. Seriously, get a life. Get a real cause.
We all know that trash hauling is owned by organized crime.. If they wanna cut down some tress then fogetaboutit!
~Yes! let’s stop recycling locally in protest. We can use economic sanctions(not giving them our recycling) to pressure them to replace the trees~
I think the Monarch Butterflies disagree with you. Also, from Website: “Eucalyptus is also excellent as wildlife habitat, despite contrary claims….. Eucalyptus has nectar-rich winter-blooming flowers. It’s the largest flowering plant in the world. In the Bay Area, it flowers when few other trees or plants are in bloom, and its flowers are rich in nectar. It provides a food source to insects and the birds that feed on them, as well as directly to nectar-feeding birds……Eucalyptus trees provide nest sites for a whole variety of birds. As the trees mature, cavities form or are excavated by woodpeckers. These form nest sites not just for woodpeckers, but Western Bluebirds and other cavity-nesters. The crooks of the branches provide nesting spaces for Great Horned Owls and for Red-tailed Hawks.”
Nice to see Edhatters get all hot and bothered about something besides helicopters. BTW OP, it is very well known by the permitter and permittee why those trees were cut down. If you were honest you’d have said YOU did not know why, not that IT was not known. Classic language used by those who dabble in the rhetorical arts of spinning, parsing and obfuscating the truth.
Maybe SBO got it right but people are entitled to their opinions here there are Kings or Queens here.
Good for Marborg. Eucalyptus trees, non CA native trees, are nothing more than Roman candles waiting to burn down the area.
They drop many pounds of dry, oil-laden bark & leaves each season and are a total nuisance. Good on Marborg & the City for allowing this.
Sounds like the OP is super jaded against Industrial zoning. “so MarBorg Industries and Lash Construction had the zoning changed to Industrial (I) to suit themselves.” Is that not what a landowner is supposed to do? Who should they “suit” if not themselves? Both of those companies are needed and do many great things in this community. Those trees are a fire hazard and by the pictures seem to be close to the electrical lines. Either way, it is their choice and the the trees did not do one thing to block “a known carcinogen”. One would think they are a sponge tree if that is the case. This complaint began with trees, made it way through zoning, and ended with parking. It sounds to me the like OP should just move.
It would be nice if they’d plant something else in place of the trees. Even just a climbing rose on the fence would pretty it up a bit.
I think the Monarch Butterflies disagree with you. Also, from Website: “Eucalyptus is also excellent as wildlife habitat, despite contrary claims….. Eucalyptus has nectar-rich winter-blooming flowers. It’s the largest flowering plant in the world. In the Bay Area, it flowers when few other trees or plants are in bloom, and its flowers are rich in nectar. It provides a food source to insects and the birds that feed on them, as well as directly to nectar-feeding birds……Eucalyptus trees provide nest sites for a whole variety of birds. As the trees mature, cavities form or are excavated by woodpeckers. These form nest sites not just for woodpeckers, but Western Bluebirds and other cavity-nesters. The crooks of the branches provide nesting spaces for Great Horned Owls and for Red-tailed Hawks.”
Looks like Tony Soprano gave the garbage contract to Richie and he didn’t like the trees….
In Australia, some folks refer to them as “pukes” because they are so filthy and dirty. “Hey Mate, let’s cut down some pukes.”
Pitmix – please don’t take this as argumentative, but I was thinking about this the other day. If the Euc’s are not native, but this is the route Monarchs take…. is it because of the Euc’s, or is there another host tree/plant? If these non-native trees weren’t here, would we still have the Monarchs passing through?
Yeah. A climbing rose would provide tons of habitat, oxygenated clean air and even food (nectar) for birds and bees, right? Right?
SEP 30, 2019 03:05 PM Written with all the ignorance you could muster. Eucalyptus trees in Santa Barbara provide shade, habitat, nectar-laden blossoms, release oxygen and give birds a place to perch along with insects to eat. Name one tree that doesn’t drop leaves and twigs. Not all Eucalyptus drop bark, either. Tree-averse people are so tiresome. How terrible that Marborg was allowed to kill trees that took decades to grow and add to our greenery. For shame, Marborg.
Not PITMIX, but I will say that roosting Monarch butterflies need a special micro-environment. They need just the right amount of shade, sunlight and moisture. The giant stands of Eucalyptus in some areas provide that now. There used to be aggregations of Monarchs off San Leandro Ln, right next to The Music Academy (hence “Butterfly Lane”) and even on the Wilcox Property/DFP. The San Leandro Ln and Music Academy locations both experienced removal of many of their Eucalyptus—–that’s why you don’t see Monarch aggregations there anymore. The Monarch population at DFP has vanished. Perhaps the Eucalyptus weren’t the original roosting groves; some say it was Cypress trees many years ago. But the eucs are what we have now. For Marborg to have summarily destroyed so many healthy, happy, habitat-providing trees is a travesty.
There were no monarchs before eucalyptus came to california
Thank you for this about monarchs of yore! I remember the monarchs around the Music Academy, but I do doubt there were any at the Marburg facility. The air quality in that area is oftentimes poor and without the trees it will be worse. One may have a legal right to cut trees on one’s property but that right should be reconsidered, especially in an area such as there where there is a need for more trees not fewer. Imagine this happening on the upper east? LOL, but here where there are very low income residents intermixed with Marborg and other businesses, who will complain. I doubt there were many if any butterflies in that area because of the air quality. Cutting down the trees will make the air worse for the residents, including the homeless, and the bikers and walkers from the lower east.
Monarchs roosted in sycamore trees before eucalyptus came to California; still do when sheltered by heavy enough stands.