Carob may have ties to Civil War
PALISADES PARK Hidden among the lush date palms, war memorials and exercise buffs is a little-known homage to the women who supported the veterans of the Civil War.
That dedication is now being intertwined with a grassroots effort to preserve the existing tree canopy in Santa Monica.
Activists Herbert and Sally Silverstein, who are members of the Santa Monica Treesavers, are calling on City Hall to preserve a carob tree in Palisades Park that in 1938 was dedicated to the California and Nevada Women’s Auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic.
The tree is among a group of carobs that was recently identified as having a high failure potential by city consultant HortScience, which evaluated more than 630 of the species in Santa Monica.
Upon learning of the possible historical significance, Community Forester Walt Warriner halted the removal of the carob while he studies the background behind the plaque.
“We are sensitive to the fact that there is a plaque and someone dedicated the tree to somebody,” he said.
The history of the plaque remains a mystery as several notable local historians have said they are unaware that such a dedication existed. A quick search by the Santa Monica Historical Society on Monday did not reveal any information about either the carob dedication or the Grand Army of the Republic’s role in Santa Monica. The GAR was formed shortly after the Civil War by a group of veterans.
The Silversteins contacted Warriner about the tree last week after they noticed a sign posted about its removal. The couple has been holding a daily vigil in front of the St. Monica statue in Palisades Park since March in protest of a controversial ficus tree removal plan in Downtown.
“I thought, ‘this is terrible, why would they cut down a tree with a plaque?’” Herbert Silverstein, who is a candidate for City Council, said about his reaction when he saw the posting. “At least look and see what the background is.”
There are several landmarked trees in the city, the most notable being the Moreton Bay Fig Tree at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel.
Warriner said the carob in question has a failure rating of 10 out of 12. The study by HortScience rated trees on a 12-point ranking system that took three factors into consideration — the probability of failing, the size of the tree’s part most likely to fail and the objects on which it would fall. All three factors were rated on a scale of one to four and were added for the final score.
The trees that were ranked as 10 or higher were slated for immediate removal.
More than 60 carob limbs and trees have failed in the city since the 2001-02 fiscal year, more than half of which have gone down since the beginning of 2005.
Warriner said the carob in Palisades Park has significant decay at the base of the tree as well as in the main lateral limb.
“If indeed the tree does remain, we will need to get creative with how we will do that,” Warriner said. “The tree does pose a risk.”
He added that preserving it will be a matter of providing physical support as opposed to cabling, which is the case for the Moreton Bay Fig Tree.
Though the plaque at the base of the tree states it was dedicated in 1938, Warriner said he doubts the tree is that old.
The carob is among the more than 1,100 trees in Palisades Park, which is a designated city landmark. If the tree is removed, the replacement will be something that is similar in character, size, shape, texture and foliage, as required by regulations set by the Landmarks Commission.
Trees have been a sensitive topic in the city since the Treesavers rallied against the ficus removal plan, which eventually went to court. Altogether approximately 23 ficus trees were removed and another seven are in the process of being relocated to the Palisades Garden Walk behind the RAND Corp.
The Silversteins said they just hope the carob will be preserved.
“It’s so magnificent that the canopy must be at least 30 feet,” Sally Silverstein said. “It’s gorgeous and really beautiful.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 23, 2008. Read the original PDF.