There’s a community meeting scheduled to address residents’ concerns about the proposed removal of the Tipu trees infected with a pest on the northern part of the eastside. WEHOonline reported back in January some folks thought the trees were being needlessly sacrificed.
Now the City wants to hear from residents before moving forward with the project.
The meeting is set for Wednesday, April 29, at 6:00 p.m. at Plummer Park Community Center, Rooms 5 and 6.
The West Hollywood Facilities and Field Services Division sent the notice. The meeting will cover the Tipu Tree Replacement Planting Project, which affects trees within the area running from La Brea Avenue to the east, Gardner Street to the west, Santa Monica Boulevard to the south, and Fountain Avenue to the north.
“Residents and community members are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in the conversation,” the notice reads.
Background
City notices went up on Tipu trees along Vista Street between Santa Monica Boulevard and Fountain Avenue back in January. Another notice appeared on the 1200 block of Poinsettia Place. The notices said the trees were infested with psyllids and needed to come out. The City assured more suitable species would replace them. If you’re trying to picture what a Tipu tree looks like, think of a Jacaranda tree only yellow.
Eastside neighbors were unhappy about the planned chop and pushed back with their own flyers. “Save Our Trees,” the homemade notices read. They asked people to contact City Council and demand the City reconsider.
City Manager Jackie Rocco addressed the controversy at a City Council meeting around the same time. She said the City looked into treatment options but couldn’t control the pests or their spread.
“These trees are being removed and replaced because they are infested with a non-native pest and declining over time,” Rocco said. “The City has been very active in exploring treatment options, but we have not been successful in eradicating or controlling populations of the pest.”
Rocco called it the third and final phase of removals in northeast West Hollywood under the Urban Forest Management Plan adopted by Council in 2019.
What Residents Said
The community flyer disputed the need for removal. “Psyllids are at worst a nuisance and no arborist nor government organization recommends destroying trees with these small flies in them,” it read.
Residents warned the block would lose shade for over a decade. The Vista Street trees are more than 20 years old. They provide what neighbors called “beautiful canopy and critical shade.”
“If the city removes these trees, our block will be without meaningful shade for 10+ years,” the flyer stated. “The new trees will never provide a canopy.”
About the Meeting
City staff will hold an open conversation about the present and future state of the urban forest. The meeting is an opportunity to share thoughts, questions, and concerns about the proposed removal of infested Tipu trees in the neighborhood.
Staff said resident feedback will help shape the project’s next steps.
If you have questions before the meeting you can contact Samuel Estrada, Urban Forest and Landscape Maintenance Supervisor, at (323) 848-6867 or sestrada@weho.org.
Written comments can also be submitted to the Office of the City Clerk at (323) 848-6409 at least 48 hours before the meeting
Never trust the city when it comes to cutting down PfpUniverse – Yet new construction is always granted extended zoning restrictions with “new saplings” They usually are placed on top an underground parking garage in on such a small tiny green space totally inadequate for any big to large tree growth ever.
If you want to see the result of this chop down, just take a walk down Formosa St between Fountain and Santa Monica. This block had a beautiful shade canopy for the 20 years I have lived here. Now it’s gone and replaced by different tree species so there will be no flowering canopy ever again. The least they could have done was replace it with a different flowering tree. Another part of the charm killed.
Never trust the city when it comes to cutting down Mature Trees – Yet new construction is always granted extended zoning restrictions with “new saplings” They usually are placed on top an underground parking garage in on such a small tiny green space totally inadequate for any big to large tree growth ever.
.The city deserves props when it reacts to resident feedback with engagement. I’m pleased to see the city added this meeting to discuss this with impacted residents. I’ll remain cautiously optimistic though, as we’ve seen plenty of neighborhood sessions to appease residents in the moment with no material adjustment to the existing city plans thereafter. Let’s hope residents can talk the city out of what seems to be an overreaction to a manageable challenge, or get a clear answer from the city why their proposed path is better for our community.
Half the trees at Hart Park (between Sunset Tower and the old Standard Hotel) are also going to be it cut down which is ridiculous. William Hart is rolling over on his grave knowing what the city is about to do to the beautiful property he donated to the city of LA.