A small orchard of 85-year-old Canary Island date palm trees originally planted in 1928 by missionaries no longer grace the skyline of southeast Gilroy.
Roy Tuck, who owns San Diego-based A to Z Palm Tree Pros with his wife Denise, said Friday his crew was cutting down the trees from a property owned by the local Filice family at the intersection of Ferguson Road and Highway 152. The trees were sold and have already been re-planted to adorn an entryway for a new housing complex in Mare Island, Vallejo.
“People don’t want to wait 85 years for that look,” Tuck said, referring to the time it takes for Canary Island date palms to grow to adult size. That’s why his company ships them to customers, fully grown.
The palms were planted by missionaries, according to Tuck.
Each tree removed Friday weighed roughly 28,000 pounds, many topping out at 40 feet tall and requiring a separate flatbed truck for transportation.
The entire cost of the project, which factored in removal, transport, disease testing and replanting, costs the buyer a total $10,000 per tree, according to Tuck.
In his line of work, Tuck recalls people who – acting without the knowledge that certain trees slated for removal are often going to be replanted – have chained themselves to trees in protest.
Gilroy resident Bill Watson said he understands what Tuck’s company was doing, but he’s sad to see the palm trees disappear.
“I think I’m just like everyone else. Coming back from vacation, right where that turn is, those trees were just beautiful,” Watson said. “It’s just another piece of Gilroy leaving. To hear from Tuck they were planted by missionaries, part of me says the state should have stepped in.”
