Nearly One-Hundred Dead or Dying Trees Slated for Removal

The City of Pasadena will be ridding its streets of dead or dying trees, according to a memo sent Thursday to the Mayor and City Council.

Ara Maloyan, Pasadena’s Director of Public Works, highlighted 94 trees that have been recommended to be cut down in the Master Tree Removal List. Nine trees have already been removed on an emergency basis. Ten dead or dying trees on the list cite drought stress or drought related conditions as the reason for removal.

Dead trees recommended to be removed on a non-emergency basis from the city’s main streets are two Camphors on South Oak Knoll Avenue, a Bottle Tree on North Raymond Avenue, a Deodar Cedar on North Allen Avenue and a White Alder on North Fair Oaks Avenue. One of two dead trees on Colorado Boulevard was pulled down as a result of vandalism, according to the memo.

The Camphors need to be removed because one of them has poor sun exposure due to being below the canopy of another tree, and the other displays no visible causal agents, according to the list. The Bottle Tree is recommended for removal because it is infected with fungus, while the Deodar Cedar shows no exterior visible signs. Lastly, the White Alder is one of the trees suffering from drought conditions.

Trees recently removed on an emergency basis from Pasadena’s main streets were a Live Oak on East Del Mar Boulevard that had been struck by a car that split it vertically, a Mesa Oak on South Allen with heart rot, root decay and a termite infestation and a Southern Magnolia on North Raymond Avenue that also had severe heart rot and termites.

The Parks and National Resources division has posted non-emergency tree removal notices for residents, according to the memo.

Residents are encouraged to call the Parks and Natural Resources Division at (626) 744-7311 to report problems with trees or learn more about the city’s tree maintenance efforts.