By Bob Wolff Santa Monica
We have heard nothing about the 31 ficus trees that are going to be placed in storage by the city. It is bad enough to cut down 23 trees …, but to remove 31 others.
To move these, it will require a major pruning of the trees’ leafy crowns, basically reducing them to half their present size. Then, their roots will be drastically pruned so they can fit in big boxes. We have been told some of the trees being reduced to mulch are sick due to root trimming and bad pruning. Hello, are we not just setting up these 31 trees to die of neglect in some city lot far from the view of the people.
Let’s get some answers: Are mature … ficus trees able to survive such drastic pruning and storage for possibly years? Let us be given specific statistics and not just an “Oh, yes” by a city paid employee or contractor. Is the city just playing games with us; has this problem even been really studied?
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 29, 2008. Read the original PDF.