Destruction leaves city treed off

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- City officials are demanding $8,000 in compensation

for two towering eucalyptus trees that were cut down illegally.

Police on Dec. 15 responded to a call that two of the 15 or 20

eucalyptus trees lining Holiday Road had been removed. Though the trees

were in the frontyard of a home, they were on public property -- a strip

of land running between the homeowner’s portion and the road.

What’s more, the eucalyptus were designated as protected trees because

of their age and their size -- about 60 feet high. About 250 of the

city’s roughly 33,000 trees are protected because of their age, size and

unusual look.

“The eucalyptus on Holiday are historic, they’re part of the heritage

of the city, they’re large majestic trees we can’t hope to replace,� said

Dave Niederhaus, the city’s general services director.

Niederhaus said city officials will try to arrange a meeting with the

homeowner to get restitution for the trees, the estimated value of which

are $4,000 each.

Police have not released the homeowner’s name because officers haven’t

been able to locate or identify the person who removed the trees. The

house is under construction and unoccupied.

“We haven’t decided whether to take legal action,� Niederhaus said.

“First, we have to sit down and talk. We intend to get the $8,000, but

nothing can replace a 30-year-old tree.�

The trees, along with the others on the street, were saved last summer

from the devastating lerp parasite by the city’s urban forester, John

Conway. City officials plan to replace them, but the new ones will be

only 15 feet high at first. They will cost about $1,000 each.

“We have a process for managing and protecting trees, and what we need

to protect first and foremost is the process,� Mayor Tod Ridgeway said.

“There was a disrespect and a disregard for our process. We need to make

sure these people pay us back.�