Budget cuts to impact Brentwood, Los Angeles urban forestry
By Staff Writer
Another coral tree fell along San Vicente this past weekend, a reminder of Brentwood’s iconic tree’s fragility.
According to the Brentwood Community Council (BCC) the tree that fell was located on San Vicente Boulevard near Cliffwood Drive.
“While our Coral Trees are officially protected as City Cultural and Historic Landmarks, the trees are fragile and require very specific care, which the City budget has never really been able to manage effectively. For the past 40 years, Brentwood residents have supported efforts to carefully prune and care for the trees, including reduced watering, as too much water causes the trees (which are native to South Africa) to fail,” the BCC wrote in an email. “For more than 40 years, Brentwood residents have taken responsibility for the annual Coral Tree safety reduction of excess branch weight, canopy care and Coral Tree replacement.”
It is not just coral trees in Brentwood facing an uncertain future.
While the City of Los Angeles Urban Forestry Division (Urban Forestry) provides little care for the San Vicente Boulevard coral trees, the provide more care for other street trees in Brentwood. Budget cuts will impact these services as much needed staff will not be hired for watering, tree trimming and other services, according to the BCC.
In addition, Urban Forestry never recovered 100 percent of its staff and budget from cuts due to the economic crisis of 2008, essentially starting from quite a deficit.
“None of this is welcome news as we had another Coral Tree failure over the weekend,” the BCC said.
If you are interested in supporting the care of the trees, please click this link. If you have questions specific to San Vicente trees, please contact BCC Environmental Alternate Rep Nancy Freedman at gjf165@gmail.com
