GILROY
– Maintaining the status of Tree City, U.S.A. is a year-round
job for Gilroy’s tree department. So far this year, 80 trees were
removed and replaced by the city.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – Maintaining the status of Tree City, U.S.A. is a year-round job for Gilroy’s tree department. So far this year, 80 trees were removed and replaced by the city.
Among the casualties were trees removed by Gilroy Unified School District – per the city’s request – as part of the summer construction on El Roble Elementary School, located at 930 Third St. New ones were planted in their place. After seeing the first two removed, school board member Jim Rogers asked the district to save the remaining trees.
The loss of Gilroy’s large, older trees should be avoided when possible, he said. He was concerned that El Roble students would lose shade and that the aesthetic value of the trees would be lost.
However the trees died and are now being replaced.
“It is a priority to have trees, unfortunately the trees that were there are notorious for ripping up sidewalks, curbs and gutters,” said Gary Corlett, construction manager for GUSD.
As part of the construction at El Roble, the district was creating a new parking lot and bus turnaround on the east side of the school. The district planned to repair damage to the sidewalks, curbs and gutters along Santa Theresa Drive caused by five “liquid amber” trees. The district then wanted to re-landscape the area, by planting new, sidewalk-friendly trees recommended by the city.
“The city asked us to take them out so it wouldn’t happen again,” Corlett said.
Liquid amber is one of four tree species considered as a high priority for removal by the city for the damage they cause.
After two liquid ambers were removed from what would be the driveway of the new parking lot in June, Rogers asked that the remaining three be saved.
However, as construction continued on the sidewalks, gutters and curbs around the trees – which occupy a space of five feet between the street and the sidewalk – much of the ambers’ roots had to be cut.
“(The trees) started dying almost immediately,” Corlett said. “Probably within a week or two weeks they started dying.”
The district removed the remaining three trees and will replace them with nine crepe myrtles, as recommended by the city, this week. GUSD is responsible for covering the cost of replacing the trees because the city is not responsible for removing trees from the strip of land between the street and sidewalk. The total landscaping project at El Roble cost $36,000 and was paid for by Measure J modernization funds.
GUSD has replaced liquid ambers at several other school sites, including Glen View Elementary School and Brownell Academy Middle School.
Both the district and city officials said replacing damaged or dying trees benefits Gilroy.
“It gives the city a warmer feel,” said Todd Barreras, forester for the city of Gilroy. “There’s a lot of positives; they cut down on the heat coming from the streets.”
