Celebrate Earth Day with the Brentwood Community Council
By Sam Catanzaro
Celebrate Earth Day with the Brentwood Community Council (BCC) by watering sidewalk trees on San Vicente and bedazzling coral trees.
The BCC’s Earth Day celebration will take place on Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The BCC is telling participants to meet on the San Vicente Boulevard median across from Coral Tree Cafe.
Those taking part are asked to bring one gallon of water and choose any sidewalk tree on San Vicente Boulevard to water. After watering, participants will meet in the median. People are asked to bring a face mask, sunscreen and good walking shoes
“We’ll give you a beautiful ribbon to tow arounds every Coral Tree to
commemorate their Historic designation by the City of LA as we
head into the annual fundraising event to care for them,” the BCC said.
According to the BCC, the San Vicente Boulevard sidewalk trees do not have sprinklers.
“They rely on rain, Good Samaritans and the City water truck 2x per year (if we’re lucky),” the BCC said.
The coral trees, by contrast, are desert loving and don’t need much water.
“Thus, we usually have at least one Coral tree with branch failure after a heavy rain. Please don’t water the Corals,” the BCC said.
An older coral tree on San Vicente Boulevard near Burlingame Avenue collapsed on February 9 of this year following heavy rainfall.
Compounded with the effects of neglect and unfavorable weather, Brentwood’s coral trees suffer from a fungal infection spread by gophers. Oak Root Fungus is a common plant disease in California that thrives in moist conditions — the fungus has spread through the San Vicente Corridor through gopher damage.
Because of the fragile nature of these trees, the BCC runs a “Brentwood Coral Tree Endowment Fund” to promote the “long-term health and beauty” of these trees. The (501(c)3 nonprofit) is co-chaired by Mary Ann Lewis and Jim Thomas. Click here to learn more and donate.
