Public safety concerns do take precedence when large trees in a community may do more harm than good, for all their ability to shield the ground from sunlight. Bryce Alderton of the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot reports on such a situation in Laguna Beach, California:
The Laguna Beach Unified School District recently removed trees and brush from a hillside surrounding the Laguna Beach High School baseball field after neighbors, two arborists, the Laguna Beach Fire Department and the city’s animal services department raised concerns, district facilities Director Ted Doughty said this week.
“Some neighbors were concerned about the unkept nature of the slope,” Doughty said. “We got calls from the Fire Department saying there was a lot of dead material on the slopes.”
Other places in the state have also implemented similar measures in protecting the public from potentially harmful trees. The Cupertino City Council, for example, recently allowed developers of Main Street Cupertino to take down unhealthy trees. The San Jose city government, meanwhile, allows tree removal when the tree is in the right-of-way.
When you’ve concluded that a tree in your community could potentially harm the residents, you may call on a tree service in San Jose, such as the Bay Area Tree Specialists, to help you. The arborist team will find ways on how to deal with the problem, starting with an evaluation of the subject property.
In the case of the LBHS, the hillside near the school’s baseball field had a number of eucalyptus trees and thick clumps of heavy brush. The local fire department noted the amount of “dead material” on the slopes and red-flagged it as fire hazards.
The trees themselves are estimated to be several years old and carried the danger of branches breaking loose due to issues of height and weight. The Laguna Beach Animal Services Department expressed concern that the thick brush may be a cover for coyotes, suggesting that the brush be trimmed. Doughty admits some residents opposed the removal on grounds of it being “historical.”
Once the arborist’s report shows that the area is suitable for further action, a removal crew can then proceed with the removal. The team that worked on the LBHS property were able to remove some of the trees and stripped all brush from the slopes.
The safety hazards from a loose branch or excessively thick brush is already too dangerous for public facility operators and homeowners to take lightly. Professionals at tree removal in San Jose like Bay Area Tree Specialists have the skills and technology to reduce the danger.
(Source: Safety concerns prompt tree removal at school, Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot, 2 June 2014)